BRS exposes Congress govt running taxpayer-funded propaganda network

The BRS has accused the Congress government in Telangana of operating a state-funded propaganda network from the Chief Minister’s Office. Allegations include the use of WhatsApp groups, bot accounts, and government infrastructure to spread misinformation and defamatory content against opposition leaders, particularly KT Rama Rao.

Hyderabad: In an explosive set of allegations targeting the corridors of power, the BRS accused the Congress government of running a State-funded organised propaganda network from within the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to malign opposition leaders.

The opposition charged that these propaganda machines were being operated using public resources, and demanded an in-depth investigation apart from immediate action against those in official positions.

The BRS social media team, led by Manne Krishank, revealed details of a propaganda network comprising multiple WhatsApp groups and social media bot accounts, spreading false and misleading information targeting senior BRS leaders.

The alleged WhatsApp group named “Telangana Rising Talk Communication”, which is central to this network, is reportedly being operated by individuals holding official positions and drawing government salaries.

According to Krishank, screenshots from the group, purportedly shared by a whistleblower who was a Telangana movement activist, indicated coordinated dissemination of fabricated content linked to the ongoing phone-tapping investigation.

Krishank alleged that CMO PRO Anvesh, Digital Media director Sriram Karri and Congress social media convener Manne Satish along with other functionaries were part of the group, which has over 138 members and functions as what he called a misinformation hub.

He accused the network of deploying bot accounts to circulate unverified and defamatory content against BRS leaders, particularly KT Rama Rao.

Dinesh Chowdhary said while there was no official communication from the SIT, narratives targeting BRS leaders were being amplified through these bot networks and parody accounts, suggesting the misuse of State-backed communication infrastructure for partisan attacks.

Digital footprints reviewed by opposition sources suggested a pattern where narratives hostile to opposition leaders appeared online through clusters of social media accounts, many suspected to be automated or centrally managed bots, often before any formal updates were released by the SIT, ACB or any other investigative agencies.

The content of this social media campaign, typically mirrored themes discussed within the alleged internal communication channels, indicating synchronised messaging rather than organic political discourse.

BRS leaders Patimeedi Jaganmohan Rao and Vishnuvardhan Reddy stated that government infrastructure in offices such as BRK Bhavan, T-SAT and HACA Bhavan was being misused for political trolling and character assassination against the opposition leaders including women.

They said repeated complaints to the police and even to the DGP had yielded no action. The same social media accounts were also being used to amplify the statements of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and pro-Congress propaganda.

“Those meant to serve the State are being deployed to run a propaganda assembly line, despite we lodging complaints five months ago,” Vishnuvardhan Reddy charged, demanding immediate action and the removal of officials named in the allegations. He said the BRS would proceed legally against those involved in the false propaganda against the party leaders.