A journalist has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell for using her picture without her consent on a post regarding open defecation on social media platforms like Instagram. Further, she also underlined that her report for Factchecker highlighted that open defecation is still a reality in Uttar Pradesh villages contrary to the claims made by the Narendra Modi-led government.
Journalist Swagata Yadavar pointed out that she had posted an image on Twitter during her field visit for a story on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Without respecting her privacy, the BJP social media team shamelessly lifted her photo for a post claiming that the country is “98 per cent open-defecation free in 2019”.
A photo which I had posted on twitter during my field work in UP for #swachhbharatabhiyan story has been used by handle @PhirEkBaarModi_ on instagram. The graphic says open defecation was 39% in 2014 to 98% in 2018 ( (they mean toilet coverage). Firstly remove my pic @BJP4India pic.twitter.com/kCk4XeV7Vv
— Swagata Yadavar (@swagata_y) March 10, 2019
In her report, Yadavar highlighted how villages are open-defecation-free (ODF) only on paper. For instance, during her visit to Vishun Pur village in Rae Bareli —which is officially ODF — she found that many women in the village have to get up early in the morning to defecate as they do not have toilets in their houses. Records, however, show that toilets were built in each of the 404 households, per the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) website.
My field work in UP in fact revealed that many toilets the govt claims to have built are in fact are on paper. Open defecation was still rampant in my villages I went to. In fact many sarpanch themselves said that their villages are not ODF. Read the storyhttps://t.co/DS6aJxMPtF
— Swagata Yadavar (@swagata_y) March 10, 2019
For eg, I met Anshika Patel in Vishunpur, Rae Bareli who had to wake up at 3 am to defecate because they don't have a toilet. On paper though their village is ODF. This is not just one off case, this is the truth of SBM that people of UP are aware of. pic.twitter.com/Lb8C9t4IMO
— Swagata Yadavar (@swagata_y) March 10, 2019
Not just this story, we have done many stories which debunk what the govt has claimed as this @AccInitiative and @riceinstitute story also does. https://t.co/FiiHuiULMq
— Swagata Yadavar (@swagata_y) March 10, 2019
Yadavar also suggested that the saffron party should post pictures of actual beneficiaries if they are confident of their claims.
I m really pissed that @BJP4India 's social media team lifts photos of women off the internet and uses them without consent. This is breach of privacy. If they believe their claims, let them post photos of actual beneficiaries. We know they have the marketing budget to do that.
— Swagata Yadavar (@swagata_y) March 10, 2019
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