Lokesh urges TDP leaders to use social media aggressively

Metro India News | AMARAVATI 

TDP national general secretary and Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday urged party leaders to treat social media as a powerful political communication tool and use it aggressively to take the coalition government’s development agenda to the people and counter opposition propaganda. Speaking on “Political Communication and Public Orientation” at the second day of the TDP Leadership Conclave at the party’s central office in Amaravati, Lokesh asked leaders how actively they were using social media and stressed that it should not be dismissed as a casual or secondary platform.

 “Do not take social media lightly. Be serious about it,” he told party leaders. Lokesh said leaders, including AMC and corporation chairpersons, were already using social media to inform people about the work being undertaken in their respective areas. He urged all party functionaries to similarly communicate government initiatives directly and openly to the public. Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of selfie videos to communicate his messages, Lokesh said he too had used the format to explain issues such as the foundation-laying for Suzlon wind projects and to counter what he described as misinformation over the DSC recruitment process.

Lokesh alleged that the Opposition’s principal strategy was to spread misinformation and “mud-sling” against the government. He called upon TDP’s social media teams to respond promptly and effectively to such campaigns and ensure that factual information reached the public. He also directed party social media teams to respond quickly to party programs and instructions, maintaining an active communication network at the grassroots level.

 Taking a dig at the YSRCP, Lokesh alleged that its leaders and cadres were blindly defending former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He further asked TDP leaders to step up communication about the government’s plans to develop Amaravati on an international scale, saying the capital’s transformation and development initiatives should be taken to a wider section of the public.