The Yogi government has approved a controversial new digital media policy incentivising positive coverage about it's work by social media influencers and digital platforms while threatening legal action against content that it deems objectionable, indecent, obscene or anti-national. Influencers and platforms which propagate the 'achievements' of the sarkar shall get lucrative advertisements and also stand to earn up to Rs 8 lakh a month. This is a brazen attempt by the saffronists to capture the digital media space, instill fear, muzzle dissent and punish critics. 'Anti-national' posts can attract incarceration up to three years and life imprisonment in severe cases. Now this begs the question, who is to decide what is 'anti-national' ? Any random Tom, Dick and Harry who is an adherent of the Sanghi ideology can flag a post as seditious and the UP sarkar can throw the content creator behind bars. I am sure that many other BJP-ruled states will follow suit.Of what use are courts in the country if every state starts passing such Machiavellian ordinances to make people pat the government's back and put dissenting voices behind bars. It is better to shut all courts in the country.
