Govt preparing to 'gag' digital media, social media through broadcast bill: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused the Modi government of preparing to "gag" digital media, social media, OTT platforms and those who write and speak in private capacity by bringing in the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, and said the country will not tolerate such actions.

The Congress general secretary shared on X two quotes of Mahatma Gandhi (Young India, 1922) and that of Jawaharlal Nehru (March, 1940) in which they had stressed the importance of freedom of speech and press.

"These two examples show that our citizens have not got freedom of speech and freedom of the press just like that. Millions of people have fought for it for years," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Civil liberties and freedom of the press are the great legacy of our martyrs and freedom fighters," she said.

In the history of independent India, no government could ever think of crushing the freedom of the citizens, Priyanka Gandhi said.

"Today, on one side by the use of power, the entire media has been turned into a government mouthpiece, and on the other hand, the BJP government is preparing to gag digital media, social media, OTT platforms and even those who write and speak in private capacity by bringing the broadcast bill," she said.

"This is completely unacceptable. The country will not tolerate such actions," she asserted.

The Congress on Friday had alleged that the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill was a direct threat to freedom of speech and the independent media and claimed that it would pave the way for "excessive surveillance" online.