New Delhi, January 4: Hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) toll-free number which was launched for mobilizing support for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was misused, a Congress worker also launched a number to garner support against the act. Congress supporters asked people to give a missed call on 9953588585 to register their protest against the controversial act. The number has started to trend on Twitter, as '#99535_88585_AgainstCAA' is used in more than 40,000 tweets. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.
Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Devashish Jarariya tweeted, “Let us together register protest against CAA, NPR and NRC. Tell Modi-Shah the mood of the country by giving a missed call on the number.” Along with his tweet, Jarariya also a graphic with the number printed on it.
आईए मिल कर विरोध दर्ज करवाएं #IndiaAgainstCAA_NPR_NRC
इस नंबर पर मिस कॉल करें और मोदी-शाह को बता दे देश का क्या मूड है। pic.twitter.com/vQYZumCxx0
— Devashish Jarariya (@jarariya91) January 4, 2020
Earlier in the day, the micro-blogging site was flooded with tweets claiming that giving a missed call on BJP's toll-free number 88662-88662 would offer various services including free subscription of Netflix, free mobile data and hot chat with girls. Some posts also offered people a telephonic conversation with celebrities on the same number. One of the tweets read, “Want free Netflix subscription for 6 months? Call 88662-88662 and get Username and Password. Promotional offer, valid only for first 100 callers. Try your luck.”
However, Netflix India denied termed these tweets as fake. Netflix India, in a witty tweet, said, “This is absolutely fake. If you want free Netflix please use someone else's account like the rest of us.”
The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in December last year. The CAA gives Indian citizenship only to non-Muslim migrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After the passage of the Bill, the nation witnessed widespread protests.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2020 12:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).