{"id":206697,"date":"2024-06-26T16:25:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=206697"},"modified":"2024-06-26T16:25:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:55:46","slug":"suresh-chavhanke-to-raushan-sinha-bjps-unofficial-it-cell-rewarded-with-invite-to-modi-swearing-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/suresh-chavhanke-to-raushan-sinha-bjps-unofficial-it-cell-rewarded-with-invite-to-modi-swearing-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Suresh Chavhanke to Raushan Sinha — BJP’s ‘unofficial IT cell’ rewarded with invite to Modi swearing-in"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BJP-led NDA on June 4 returned to power with 293 seats in the Lok Sabha, invalidating the various Exit Poll predictions of a landslide victory with around 400 seats. Even as the Opposition camp saw this as a mandate against the Modi government, key figure in the INDIA bloc Akhilesh Yadav<\/a> summarized the sentiment by saying, \u201cThe sun on BJP\u2019s negative politics has set and now it\u2019s the dawn of the positive, constructive politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hope of a dawn of positive, constructive politics, perhaps shared by millions in this country, however, took a big hit when it was learnt that the BJP had invited several prominent Right-wing social media influencers, who had been repeatedly found sharing and amplifying communal hate and disinformation targeting the Muslim community, to the oath-taking ceremony held at the Raisina Hills on June 9.<\/p>\n

One wonders if the invite to the prestigious event was a reward for the work put in by these individuals, who form the ‘unofficial IT cell’ of the BJP. Throughout the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, these influencers played their part<\/a> diligently alongside the official IT cell, amplifying pro-BJP propaganda on social media, usually by villainizing the Muslim community and amplifying falsehoods about the Opposition.<\/p>\n

Several of them flaunted their invitation to the event as a sign of legitimacy to their work from the highest quarters. Here is a compilation of such individuals and their antecedents:<\/p>\n

Raushan Sinha<\/h4>\n

X (Twitter) user @MrSinha_, whose real name is Raushan Sinha, identifies himself on the platform as an ‘Indian Political commentator’ and ‘Hindu Rights Activist’. He is one of the most prominent Right-wing influencers on the platform. Not only has he been found sharing communal disinformation<\/a> on innumerable occasions, but the handle was also suspended for violating Twitter’s policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On June 9, Sinha tweeted an image of the invitation letter addressed to him and wrote ‘Opportunity to witness a historical moment… Modi 3.0 loading.’<\/p>\n

\n

Opportunity to witness a historical moment….<\/p>\n

Modi 3.0 loading \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d pic.twitter.com\/tCWMshCrfX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) June 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the past two months, Sinha has been fact-checked at least seven times by Alt News. These include false claims directly targeting Congress<\/a> and Rahul Gandhi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This user took a leading role in peddling pro-Israel propaganda<\/a> after the Israel-Hamas war had broken out in October 2023. He has actively amplified misinformation and conspiracy theories, including the unverified claim that the Hamas beheaded 40 babies. He also falsely claimed that a four-year-old child named Omar killed in the conflict was a doll. At the height of the war, he amplified the falsehood that a man seen intubated on a hospital bed in a viral clip was Palestinian influencer Saleh Aljafarawi. However, in reality, the video showed Saeed Zandek, a 16-year-old man injured in an Israeli raid on Nur Shams refugee camp in July-August 2023.<\/p>\n