ISI trying to influence state polls: Himanta
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Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said Pakistan's ISI is seeking to influence the state election due early next year in favour of its preferred outcome and the process has already started on social media from a call centre set up for the purpose in Kolkata.
Sarma said, "The special branch is reviewing about 2,000 Facebook accounts where the owners belonging to a particular community are commenting over the coming polls and half of these handles are operated by handlers from Bangladesh and Pakistan," raising serious concerns about foreign interference in the democratic processes of the country.
"This number will increase as the election date draws near because ISI wants that somebody should win. Everything is under my surveillance. I will give the details on Sept 10. There is so much of penetration in Facebook. This is a dangerous situation," Sarma said
He said these 2,000 Facebook accounts were opened on a single day, which suggests the use of social media platforms to spread a negative tone that is a common tactic in modern hybrid warfare, where the aim is to destabilize and influence public opinion without overt military action.
But Sarma is confident that BJP will win the election again. "In Assam, there is no alternative to BJP for Indian Assamese people. BJP is necessity driven by nationalism, identity, and development. Could Congress have taken the decision to give arm licence to the indigenous people of the state?
"BJP is a compulsion for people of Assamese. What Assamese people want, BJP can give and BJP's politics is based on ideologies of Assamese people.
by Taboola
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It is difficult to separate BJP from Assamese people," Sarma said, adding, a "unseen power has been helping BJP, which believes in Santan dharma."
He added, "People of Assam for the first time have got a govt of their own. In the last one month, how many Bangladeshis we have pushed back we know, Assamese people cannot imagine. I don't have to say but only BJP can do this because BJP understands the soul of Assam. This is what the people want and BJP wants to do what Assamese people want."
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