YouTubers Dhruv Rathee and Gaurav Taneja have found themselves at odds once more, this time over a new policy by the Uttar Pradesh government that pays influencers up to ₹8 lakh a month to promote government schemes.
Dhruv Rathee, 29, criticized the policy harshly, branding it as a misuse of taxpayer funds.
On X (formerly Twitter), Rathee condemned the initiative, stating,
“The Uttar Pradesh Government plans to pay up to ₹8 lakh to influencers to promote itself. This is legalized bribery using taxpayer money. Any influencer participating in this should be publicly shamed.”
Uttar Pradesh Govt is saying it will pay up to ₹8 Lakh to Influencers to promote the govt.
This is Legalized Bribery.
From Tax Payer’s Money.Any influencer who does this should be publicly shamed.
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) August 28, 2024
His post has gone viral, amassing over 2 million views.
In response, Gaurav Taneja, 38, a former pilot and now a prominent content creator, defended the policy. He questioned whether media outlets, which receive payment for running government advertisements, should also be criticized.
Should all Newspapers and TV Channels, be also shamed, who show paid ads to promote any govt in power ? https://t.co/SeeuAEB7KU
— Gaurav Taneja (@flyingbeast320) August 28, 2024
The debate has generated a flurry of responses on social media. One user remarked, “A party can use electoral bonds to promote their propaganda, but using taxpayers’ money for social media influencers under the guise of promoting government schemes is wrong.” Another countered, “It’s odd that you can’t distinguish between advertisements and personal promotion.”
This clash between Rathee and Taneja is not new. They previously disagreed on the ‘India vs Bharat’ debate in June 2024.
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet recently approved the Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy, 2024. This policy provides financial incentives for selected influencers to promote government schemes on their social media platforms. According to the policy, influencers can receive up to ₹5 lakh, ₹4 lakh, ₹3 lakh, and ₹2 lakh for promotions on X, Facebook, and Instagram, respectively. For YouTube, the payment cas are set at ₹8 lakh for videos, ₹7 lakh for shorts, ₹6 lakh for podcasts, and ₹4 lakh for other content per month.
