Twitter row: Congress says PM wants to suppress people's voice
What's the story
The Congress on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to suppress the voice of 140 crore Indians and does not want them to say anything against him and his government. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the action against Twitter and other social media platforms is only aimed at suppressing the freedom of their speech and expression.
Freedom of speech
Journalists cannot write against the government due to fear: Surjewala
Surjewala was talking about the government initiating action against Twitter and other social media platforms. "Today, journalists cannot write against the government, else they will lose their job or life. In such a situation, only YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, social platforms are left and Modi Ji himself is the creation of such platforms," he said.
Further details
Now they want to lock down social media platforms: Surjewala
Surjewala said Twitter does not write anything of its own, it is the people of the country who write against this government and its policies. "It is the youth, the Dalits, the farmers, the poor, who write against the government and criticize Modi Ji, then they have problems. Now, they want to lock down every social media platform as well," the Congress leader said.
Twitter row
Twitter has lost legal shield in India
The government has asked Twitter to comply with intermediary guidelines and said it has lost its safe harbor protection in India over non-compliance with IT rules and failure to appoint key personnel mandated under the new guidelines. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Twitter failed to comply with intermediary guidelines and has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance despite being granted multiple opportunities.