National Conference has accused the PDP-BJP government of portraying government employees as ‘terrorists’.
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir government’s “gag order” on use of social media has snowballed into a major controversy with the main opposition party, National Conference, calling it “obnoxious” and “tyrannical”.
In a 16-page order issued Tuesday, the government directed its employees to be “careful” and “ignore” friend requests from “strangers” and “duplicate accounts” while using social media. It also prohibits them from sharing opinion on varied issues.
The NC has now accused the PDP-BJP government of portraying government employees as “terrorists.”
The General Administrative Department (GAD) headed by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, which issued the order, said it was aimed at preventing “hatred” and “rumours” on social media.
“The order has not been issued overnight. The matter was discussed at length to prevent the spread of hatred and rumours, which often lead to security problems,” a senior official of the GAD told The Print.
“It is in the interest of people and employees. We are not going to watch every message but those involved in wrongdoing will be monitored,” the official said, adding that the government wants its employees to behave responsibly.
Slamming the move, NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said that government wants to “defame” and “vilify” lakhs of government employees as either “terrorists or anti-social elements”
“This government has broken all records of nepotism and corruption while failing to deliver…a progressive vision, based on which the state could function in a positive manner,” Mattu said.
“It is tragic that rather than introspecting at the political level, the PDP-BJP government has chosen to deflect the issue by shifting the blame on the employees,” he added.
The Congress and the CPI (M) have also criticised the government move.
According to the order, government employees have been asked to not tweet, retweet, update status, comment or like any political or work-related issue on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
“The government employees shall not use their personal social media accounts for any political activity or endorsing the posts or tweets or blogs of any political figure,” the order said.
The move has evoked a sharp reaction among employees too. One government official who has worked with the PWD for the past 35 years and spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “This is an extremely patronising approach to people who have worked in the worst law and order conditions for the state.”
However, Shah Faesal, the 2009 IAS topper from the state, defended the government order, saying it’s “an extension of an earlier guideline on employee behaviour”.
“Such orders on code of conduct were issued in the past as well. In fact, there should not be a display of behavior which is unbecoming of a government employee,” Faesal, himself an avid user of social media, told ThePrint.
Asked if it was an attack on free speech, Faesal said: “It depends on how employees take it. I feel I am free to speak my mind.”
Another senior official from the tourism department called the order “humiliating”.
“I have been in government service for 30 years and this is the first time that such a ridiculous order has been issued. They (government) are making us feel as if employees are literally their slaves,” he said.
The order has generated much heat on social media as well. “Will the ban on government employees for using social media be applicable also to those officials who demonise others on behalf of the state,” human rights activist Khurram Parvez asked in a Facebook post.