The apps were launched in order to connect with the masses and provide them information on various government welfare measures.
BJP parliamentarians recently incurred Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wrath after he found that many of them hadn’t installed various government apps on their smartphones, party sources said.
Modi apparently felt that the party’s MPs were not serious about the ‘Digital India’ campaign —one of his pet projects — as they were not using these apps, the sources added.
Modi and BJP president chief Amit Shah are known for their micromanagement skills. This became evident at a recent parliamentary party meeting of the party during the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament.
The PM asked the party’s MPs whether they had installed applications like MyGov.in and Modi App. These apps were launched in order to connect with the masses and provide them information on various government welfare measures.
According to sources, initially there was no response from the MPs to Modi’s question. When he repeated it, only 25 MPs raised their hands and replied they had the apps. He then cautioned them by saying that he would monitor whether they were really using these apps or not.
The Prime Minister also asked the MPs to mend their ways if they wanted to remain in the good books of their voters, the sources said.
Modi apparently suggested the MPs could hire assistants, for which they get allowances, to keep them updated on government functioning through these apps.
Earlier, the PM had asked the party members, especially parliamentarians, to remain active on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to establish a greater connect with the masses and inform them about government schemes.
“With many still behaving like old-school politicians, the PM wants to emphasise the importance of digital media and apps, so that people’s representatives have information on achievements of their own government. This is the least they could do. The PM also reminded them that their performance is being monitored,” one of sources said.