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In 'Digital India,' Government Hands Out Free Phones To Win Votes (nytimes.com)
Forget the old American campaign slogan of a chicken in every pot, or the Indian politician's common pledge to put rice in every bowl. The New York Times reports: Here in the state of Chhattisgarh, the chief minister, Raman Singh, has promised a smartphone in every home -- and he is using the government-issued devices to reach voters as he campaigns in legislative elections that conclude on Tuesday. [...] The phones are the latest twist in digital campaigning by the B.J.P., which controls the national and state government and is deft at using tools like WhatsApp groups and Facebook posts to influence voters. The B.J.P. government in Rajasthan, which holds state elections next month, is also subsidizing phones and data plans for residents, and party leaders are considering extending the model to other states.
Chhattisgarh's $71 million free-phone program -- known by the acronym SKY after its name in Hindi -- is supposed to bridge the digital divide in this state of 26 million people, which is covered by large patches of forest and counts 7,000 villages that do not even have a wireless data signal. The plan is to add hundreds of cellphone towers and give a basic smartphone to every college student and one woman in every household to connect more families to the internet and help fulfill the central government's goal of a "Digital India." But this election season, many of the 2.9 million people who have received the phones have found themselves targeted by the B.J.P.
Chhattisgarh's $71 million free-phone program -- known by the acronym SKY after its name in Hindi -- is supposed to bridge the digital divide in this state of 26 million people, which is covered by large patches of forest and counts 7,000 villages that do not even have a wireless data signal. The plan is to add hundreds of cellphone towers and give a basic smartphone to every college student and one woman in every household to connect more families to the internet and help fulfill the central government's goal of a "Digital India." But this election season, many of the 2.9 million people who have received the phones have found themselves targeted by the B.J.P.
Oh good, India's Nationalists are not only bribing voters but doing so in a way that they can keep can keep an eye on them.
Heaven help their minorities with this kind of nationalist bullshit.
Can the 'Oh the poor Muslim "minorities" are targeted' crap.
It's not just Muslims that are targeted by the BJP. Dalits are a favorite target as well. Heaven forbid you get caught by a "cow protection group" transporting a cow you just bought to add to your farm. They assume you are going to butcher it, so they butcher you. And they have the tacit and sometimes explicit permission from the BJP to do so. Don't forget that there is a minority population of Christians as well. If the Hindu nationalists get their way, Indian Christians will be a target as well.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil