Why are Maharashtra BJP leaders asking people to donate to different PM-CARES Fund website?

On April 18, BJP Treasurer and Spokesperson Shaina NC shared a tweet where she spoke about the importance of donating to the PM Cares Fund.

“My country is my identity and today My country needs me. In the nation’s fight against Corona, I am dedicating my share and strengthening #NaMo’s hand. You should also dedicate your share of the funds to #PMCARE. #MyContribution2Nation http://pmcaresfund.online,” she tweeted.

Several other BJP leaders tweeted the same message on the day.

However, Shaina and some BJP leaders from Maharashtra shared the wrong PM CARES link. The official PM Cares website is https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/about-pm-cares-fund/, while the one shared by her is http://pmcaresfund.online – an unsecure site, which was not opening when we clicked on the link.

It’s not just Shaina who has used the wrong link. Other leaders like Chandrashekar Bawankule, too, had shared the wrong link on Facebook. However, after editing their wall post they removed the link.

The matter was raised by Pravinkumar Biradar, a member of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee’s social media team. From his posts, it’s not just Shaina and Bawankule who have used the wrong link. Other BJP leaders from Maharashtra include Girish Mahajan, Dr Subhash Bhamre, and Heena Gavit, who have since deleted the tweet.

Biradar has further alleged with screenshots that once you make the payment, you have to share your information before you get your digital certificate.

When we tried opening the site ourselves, we saw it was an unsecure site with a WordPress logo. Furthermore, when we checked the location of the site, it was registered on April 15, 2020 and updated on April 16, 2020. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the official PM CARES website on March 28, 2020.

Further investigation revealed that the site, which is ‘not secure’, was registered in Arizona, United States, under Tocows server. Although the site has been registered for a year, the domain status says server transfer prohibited.

Although the site is down, we only know how many leaders from BJP’s Maharashtra unit have shared it; we’re still to determine how many people from across the country shared the URL, given the following some of these leaders have.

PM Narendra Modi has appealed fellow Indians to contribute to the PM-CARES Fund. “It is my appeal to my fellow Indians, Kindly contribute to the PM-CARES Fund. This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead,” Modi has said in the past.

“The PM-CARES Fund accepts micro-donations too. It will strengthen disaster management capacities and encourage research on protecting citizens. Let us leave no stone unturned to make India healthier and more prosperous for our future generations,” he added