TV
Fake news, smear campaigning, and misinformation have emerged as significant threats to India's social fabric and democratic processes, said Indian National Congress Spokesperson Mumtaz Ahmed Patel while attending an interesting session during Odisha Television Limited’s (OTV) annual convention ‘Foresight 2025--Changing Times Changing Minds’ held at Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Speaking on the importance of social media in politics, the Congress Spokesperson highlighted how everyone easily believes in fake news while the truth has to be proved.
“Unfortunately, everyone easily believes in lies and the truth has to be proved, be it in Court or on social media. I’m also an internet personality, all thanks to social media. India comprises 954 million people who have internet access, out of which, 400 come from rural areas. We have become addicted to social media. But the biggest threat to India today is fake news,” Mumtaz stated.
“More than life-killing diseases, more than inequality, and more than economic instability, the biggest threat that India has today are disinformation and fake news. Who will be held accountable if our Home Minister Amit Shah himself claims that they (BJP IT Cell) can make any news viral as per their wish? They spread fake news that Akhilesh Yadav slapped his father that changed the narrative of UP politics,” she alleged.
She further added that ‘we all should be responsible and should be able to differentiate what is true and what is false’. “Sadly, there is no digital literacy. Everyone has mobile and the internet today, but digital literacy does not exist. Over 27 lynchings have happened due to online rumours. Online rumours have offline consequences and violence. So, this is the danger of social media,” Mumtaz said.
“...Rajiv Gandhi brought the IT revolution, but BJP took full advantage. For example, we all have seen Rahul Gandhi’s Potato and Gold video. The BJP IT cell made it such that it was said by Rahul Gandhi while it was originally said by PM Modi. But, till today, people believe it was said by Rahul Gandhi,” she added.
She also called for strict laws to deal with fake news but believes that damage is already done by the time the fake news is fact-checked. “I agree with strict laws, but the damage is already done. People are so impatient and by the time, something is proven to be true or false, it is already spread on social media. Even influencers and educated people fail to identify between the truth and the false; so it is hard for a common man to identify,” she added.
“Not only politics, but it is also related to job scams, fake new,s and other such crimes. By the time, it is fact-checked, the rumours go viral and people fall for it,” she added.
