Misinformation campaigns: BJP’s Chandrasekhar registers police complaint against Cong in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 (IANS) The BJP candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday registered a police complaint against a Congress leader for spreading misinformation and allegedly engaging in criminal conspiracies.

Union Minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, accused the leader of morphing his old photograph with Union Minister, Pratima Bhoumik.

In his complaint filed before Delhi Police, Chandrasekhar said that J Moses Joseph Dcruz, a member of the Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee, and the National Executive Committee of the All India Fishermen’s Congress, morphed the image of Pratima Bhoumik with the face of PK Indira, wife of CPI(M) leader, EP Jayarajan.

Later this was circulated on various social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp.

The caption accompanying the image falsely implied a professional and business connection between Indira, Chandrasekhar and Jayarajan.

Incidentally, the issue of a business deal between Chandrasekhar and Jayarajan was doing the rounds last month and the Congress alleged that this was yet another example of the secret pact between the BJP and the CPI(M) in Kerala.

Chandrasekhar further stated in his complaint that this manipulation was executed with the aim of deceiving the public and garnering sympathy through misleading information.

“This act was a deliberate effort to disseminate false and frivolous content on social media, advancing both personal and political agendas through criminal conspiracy and misinformation campaigns,” said Chandrasekhar.

In yet another case filed before the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, Sanjay Kaul and Additional Chief Electoral Officer and Nodal Officer incharge of the Model Code of Conduct, Adeela Abdulla, he alleged that the Congress had published a defamatory video (first published on X, from the official handle of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) making various unsubstantiated allegations with the premise that he had submitted a false affidavit on assets before the Election Commission at the time of his Rajya Sabha election.