Can the self-described “party of farmers” make an impact on social media in its quest to garner more support in time for the Assembly elections next year?
This is the hope with which the Janata Dal (Secular), which has largely been absent from the online space, conducted its maiden social media workers’ discussion programme here on Saturday. Though 2,500 people were expected, only about 1,300 workers were present for what was, in essence, a prolonged three-hour interaction with JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy.
On the importance of social media for the regional party, hitherto beset with a rural image, Mr. Kumaraswamy said people have forgotten the works of the JD(S) while in power, be it during the five-year-term that ended in 1999 or the 20-month tenure in 2006. “There is a need to take our work to the people, including the irrigation schemes accelerated during the time of H.D. Deve Gowda and the colleges started when I was Chief Minister... Every department of the State government should use social media to build people’s confidence,” he said.
HDK’s ‘vision’
The attendees were workers, some of them engineers, from across the State, and there were also callers from the United States. Questions were asked on ways to improve Bengaluru, solutions to the water crisis and to revive the faltering irrigation schemes, reservation for those from the State in the IT sector, healthcare, and primary education. Mr. Kumaraswamy’s replies were in the form of assurances if their government is elected in 2018. “We are not only talking about farm loan waivers or issues of farmers. We have a vision for each department,” he said to the raucous crowd.
While he resolved to hold these discussions at the district level, these efforts remain baby steps for the JD(S) whose presence online pales in comparison to that of the national parties. While ‘Namma HDK’ — the recently launched Twitter handle for Mr. Kumaraswamy — has 1,450 followers, the usually Internet-savvy BJP Karnataka has over one lakh followers. In fact, even Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao has more than 16,000 followers.
