Indian PM asks ruling BJP lawmakers to use social media to publicise gov't schemes

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked lawmakers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to use social media to its maximum potential to spread the word on the social welfare schemes launched by his government.

The prime minister told the BJP parliamentarians to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to promote the welfare schemes launched by the government but cautioned them against losing touch with their constituency, C.P. Thakur, a senior lawmaker of the ruling party, said Wednesday.

"Modi asked the lawmakers to engage more with people. We should write for media publications," Thakur told the media in the national capital.

The prime minister's advice to lawmakers came barely a week after he asked parliamentarians of India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh to ensure important reforms and schemes are implemented efficiently and quickly in their constituencies, which would help fend off anti-incumbency.

Modi is internet-savvy. In fact, when he had won the general elections in 2014, Britain's Financial Times called him "India's first social media prime minister".

Modi uses social media, particularly Twitter, to reach out to millions of Indians almost every day. He uses Twitter to wish people on festivals, exchanges messages with celebrities and even with his cabinet colleagues. Endit