BJP chief Amit Shah today clarified that a phone number which party leaders have shared on social media for people to call in order to show support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has nothing to do with streaming giant Netflix.
“Since yesterday, rumours are being spread that the number belongs to some channel called Netflix. I would like to clarify that the number never belonged to Netflix. Rather it is BJP’s toll free number,” Mr Shah was quoted by news agency ANI as saying at a rally in Delhi.
The BJP, facing protests over the citizenship law in several parts of the country, has asked supporters to give a missed call on the toll-free number. Several leaders have shared the number on Twitter.
Some people tweeted to lure others into calling the number, claiming that Netflix will provide six-month subscription for free.
On Saturday, Netflix called the tweets “absolutely fake”.
“This is absolutely fake. If you want free Netflix please use someone else’s account like the rest of us,” Netflix India tweeted.
Several people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka in violent protests that broke out after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill – which for the first time makes religion the test of citizenship in India – was passed in both houses of parliament last month.
The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries to get citizenship if they fled to India before 2015 because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.
The BJP has blamed the opposition for the unrest, saying misinformation regarding the law was spread to mislead people. The party has launched an outreach programme under which its leaders will educate the masses about the merits of the law.
