Daijiworld Media Network - Pune

Pune, Aug 22: BJP has accused the Congress of allegedly paying people and social media influencers to create a crowd and generate publicity for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Pune.

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Maharashtra on Saturday and participate in the student-focused programme in Pune. The Congress has been carrying out publicity activities ahead of the event.

However, the programme came under political attack after BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban described it as a “paid political programme”.

Speaking at a press conference at the BJP state office in Mumbai, Ban alleged that the event was not a spontaneous gathering of students but an organised programme in which money was being offered to generate attendance and social media publicity.

“Rahul Gandhi’s Pune programme is not ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ but ‘Paison Ki Goonj’,” Ban alleged.

He claimed that Congress was paying people to attend the programme because people were not turning up voluntarily.

Ban also alleged that the Congress had introduced a new “PPP model”, which he described as a “Paid Political Programme”, through the Pune event.

According to Ban, social media influencers were allegedly offered between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 each to promote or participate in activities connected with Rahul Gandhi’s Pune programme.

He displayed several videos during the press conference and demanded that the government investigate who was behind the alleged offers.

“The Congress is trying to create a crowd and an atmosphere on social media by paying money for Rahul Gandhi’s programme. This is not a spontaneous student event but a paid political programme,” Ban alleged.

He further claimed that if around 3,000 people were being paid Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 each to attend the event, the total expenditure could amount to approximately Rs 9 crore to Rs 10.5 crore.

Ban alleged that nearly Rs 10 crore was being spent merely on creating a crowd as part of an attempt to “politically relaunch” Rahul Gandhi.

The allegations come ahead of Gandhi’s Maharashtra visit, with the Congress preparing for the Pune programme amid heightened political activity in the state.

The Congress has not been quoted in the material provided as responding to the BJP's allegations. The claims regarding payments to attendees and influencers could not be independently verified.