A fresh political row has erupted in Maharashtra after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Indian National Congress of paying social media influencers ₹25,000 to attend Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s student outreach event in Pune. Calling it a "manufactured PR campaign," the BJP alleged that the opposition party lacks genuine youth support and is resorting to paid crowd-building tactics.

The Allegations: Paid Attendance and Sponsored Content

The controversy centers around a viral audio clip and video shared by BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari and official party handles on social media. The clip purportedly features a call between an unidentified social media content creator and a person named "Shantanu," allegedly linked to event coordination.

According to the BJP, the caller offers the creator ₹25,000 to travel to Pune, attend the event, conduct interviews with student attendees, and upload promotional videos to their social media handles. Sharing the video clip, the BJP tweeted, "Even public support has to be bought for Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s leadership is so weak that even event attendance needs to be paid for."

 'Chhatron Ki Gunj'

The event in question is the Pune leg of Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide youth and student outreach initiative titled "Chhatron Ki Gunj". Scheduled to take place at the SSPMS College Ground in Pune, the specific edition focuses on providing a platform exclusively for young women and Gen-Z youth to voice their concerns on social, economic, and safety issues. The organizers expect a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 participants.

Police Directives and Strict Security Conditions

Amid the brewing political friction, the Pune City Police granted conditional permission for the rally under strict directives. Authorities issued a 30-point guideline to maintain public order:

• Prohibition of Provocative Banners: Organizers are strictly banned from displaying inflammatory or objectionable posters and portraits.

• Capacity & Entry Controls: Venue capacity limits must be strictly adhered to, with separate, enclosed frisking points for women staffed exclusively by female personnel.

• No Drones or Beam Lights: High-intensity skyward lights and unauthorized drone videography are completely banned.

• Legal Accountability: The police emphasized that any breach of law and order or failure to comply with safety norms will make the event organizers legally liable and lead to immediate permit cancellation.

Growing Trend of Social Media Warfare

The political clash underscores an escalating trend in Indian politics, where major parties increasingly leverage digital content creators and Gen-Z influencers to shape public narrative. While the Congress party has not issued an official response to the video allegations, the episode highlights the intensifying campaign strategies as parties fight for the youth vote bank.