What Is the 'Donate for Desh' Domain Controversy Between Congress And BJP?

On December 18, the Congress party launched a nationwide crowdfunding campaign, named “Donate for Desh,” and asked people to join the fight against unemployment and rising costs. However, the Congress did not register the domain name before announcing the initiative. On the other hand, the BJP has booked it first and driven traffic to its page.

The news website OpIndia also acquired another domain in the name of the Donate for Desh campaign. This simply means that when Congress supporters attempted to donate via the domain DonateforDesh.org, they were landed on the BJP’s donation page or a media website. Congress has addressed the issue by introducing the new domain “donate.inc”. A domain name, which is a unique web address, consists of a website name and a domain name extension.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate responded to this controversy and accused the BJP of “creating fake domains” to confuse people. “Why is BJP so afraid despite having autocratic power, all institutions, all resources, maximum money?” asked Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms Chairperson Supriya Shrinate through an X post on December 18. Meanwhile, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said that the Congress didn’t even book the social media accounts in the name of their campaign. “Let alone domains, the Congress didn’t even block SM accounts. Check out @donatefordesh, for instance,” wrote the BJP leader on his X handle.

https://t.co/kdXpsYxEyg

9 AM today Morning
Total raised: ₹1.45 Crores! 🚀

A heartfelt thanks to all the donors.
Your contributions empower the underprivileged”s voices and strengthen our commitment to an inclusive India. 🇮🇳

🌟 Top Donor States So Far: A Shout-Out! 🌟…

— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) December 19, 2023

Even though the Congress campaign had a troublesome start with the unexpected redirection, Congress leader Ajay Maken said on December 19 that the party has collected Rs 1.45 crore so far. As part of the donation, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge donated a sum of ₹1,38,000 from his salary.