UAE: Several Indians received a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on WhatsApp seeking support and suggestions for building a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Interestingly, several non-Indians from Pakistan, UAE, and even Britain also claimed to receive PM Modi's letter on WhatsApp. These individuals from varying nationalities were surprised to receive a message from ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ on their smartphones.

Will the ⁦@ECISVEEP⁩ take note of such a blatant misuse of government machinery and government data to serve the partisan political interests of the ruling party? pic.twitter.com/wrV6iWwfsJ

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 18, 2024

UAE-based consultant Anthony J Permal, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called out at the government for the misuse of data in the interest of the ruling party.

“Will the ⁦@ECISVEEP ⁩ take note of such a blatant misuse of government machinery and government data to serve the partisan political interests of the ruling party," wrote the parliamentarian on X, formerly Twitter.

Tharoor also shared screenshots of a UAE national who expressed his concern about a ‘data breach’ after receiving PM Modi's letter on WhatsApp from the ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ account. A few individuals from the UK and other countries also admitted to receiving the message on their WhatsApp account. 

Viksit Bharat Sampark WhatsApp message row
The WhatsApp message by ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ with PM Modi's letter has been received by millions of Indians. The opposition has called PM Modi's Viksit Bharat Sampark letter to be a "blatant violation" of the model code of conduct.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Congress MP Manish Tewari wrote on X, “This unsolicited WhatsApp message came at 12.09 AM today. It seems to be from @GoI_MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & IT). Is this not a blatant violation of the both Model Code of Conduct & Right to Privacy."

In addition to Congress MP Tharoor, TMC MP Saket Gokhale also voiced his concern about several non-Indians receiving a similar message around the world. "WhatsApp claims the number belongs to India’s IT ministry. What database was used in this? Why are messages being sent violating the code of conduct?" Gokhale said.