Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: A row erupted on Tuesday over the Prime Minister`s Office moving to a new Twitter handle - from @PMOIndia to @PMOIndiaArchive automatically transferring its content and 1.24 million followers to the new account.
"All our official communications are being archived according to the RTI Act. Copyrights and control remain with the office. This is an office account and the office continues to manage it," Communication Adviser to the outgoing PM Manmohan Singh Pankaj Pachauri said on the move.
Also an independent Twitter handle @PMOIndia appeared after the PMO relinquished it.
However, this has not gone down too well with the Bharatiya Janata Party which won a massive mandate on May 16.
"The Twitter account @PMOIndia is a national digital asset. It is disgraceful, unethical and illegal in the way the outgoing team handling the @PMOIndia Twitter account has conducted the transition of this national digital asset," party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told reporters.
"The Twitter handle of @PMOIndia must become available to the new incoming government. @PMO is not a personal asset, it is a national asset," she added.
Pachauri, however, said that they have done this to "facilitate" the handover of communication to the new administration.
BJP won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and along with its allies it bagged a total 335 seats. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was BJP`s prime ministerial candidate. The Congress on the other hand was decimated and ended with 44 seats – its worst ever figures.
Earlier today, scenes of great camaraderie and warm emotions were witnessed in the Central Hall of Parliament as PM-designate Narendra Modi entered it for the first time accompanied by other NDA members who had gathered to elect him as their leader.
Three-time Gujarat Chief Minister Modi was accorded a rousing welcome by leaders of his party as well as those belonging to the 29 NDA allies as they reposed faith in his leadership for staking the claim to form the new government.
Below is the last tweet by Manmohan Singh.
???????????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????? - ?????? ???- http://t.co/59GKEpxdKf pic.twitter.com/M7oflsOwkn
— Dr Manmohan Singh (@PMOIndiaArchive) May 18, 2014
With PTI inputs
