Kharge accuses Centre of censorship over 1.95 lakh social media blocking orders
The Congress chief said online restrictions are disproportionately affecting students, journalists and citizens critical of the government
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Modi government of launching a brazen and calculated attack on the democratic right of every Indian to question and to dissent as he condemned its reported takedown orders on social media posts.
In a post on X, he claimed that the Modi government has issued 1.95 lakh blocking orders in just five months - most of them "against students and youth who came out on the streets demanding accountability" from authorities.
"Modi Government has launched its most brazen and calculated attack on the democratic right of every Indian to speak, to question and to dissent.
"Its social media censorship is as condemnable as the lathicharge and pellet guns they used on our youth!" Kharge said in a post on X, referring to the recent Cockroach Janta Party-led protest on the issue of NEET paper leak and reforms in the examination system.
Kharge noted that "what we are seeing today is only the tip of the iceberg. 1.95 lakh blocking orders in just 5 months. One every 68 seconds. Not against criminals, but against students, young Indians who came out on the streets demanding accountability for their stolen futures and their rigged examinations." The Congress chief alleged that the protesters were assaulted in daylight and at the very same time, "post by post and reel by reel, every single voice that supported them was being systematically erased from the internet by direct government order." "Any creator, any journalist, any ordinary citizen who posts something critical of this government today faces immediate takedowns, threatening FIR notices and coordinated intimidation.
"Meanwhile, the ruling party’s 'Andhbhakt' freely doxes women, issues rape threats and runs organised harassment campaigns online without a single legal consequence, because none less than the PM follows many such trolls!" the Congress president alleged, citing media reports.
"The Modi Government slashed takedown time to three hours and automated censorship so completely that no human even reads the order before a voice is silenced," Kharge said.
According to media reports, the government sent one blocking order to social media firms every minute between March and July this year and over half were sent to Instagram, which was the key protest platform. PTI