‘Twitter batting for BJP’: Congress says 5,000 party-linked handles locked

Congress activists and leaders have lashed out at Twitter for allegedly locking the official account of the party and numerous other leaders on Thursday morning.

In a message on its Facebook and Instagram handles, the Congress shared a screenshot that stated its Twitter handle had been locked.

The move came after handles of multiple senior leaders were locked on Wednesday and days after the handle of Rahul Gandhi was suspended for having shared the images of the kin of a rape victim.

ANI quoted Congress social media head Rohan Gupta as saying on Thursday morning that Twitter had "already blocked 5,000 accounts of our leaders and workers across India". Gupta alleged Twitter was blocking the accounts on account of pressure from the Narendra Modi government. However, he added, "They need to understand we can't be pressurised by Twitter or government."

The Congress singled out Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the action. The Congress posted on Instagram, "The official Twitter account of the Congress party has been locked by Twitter India. Modi ji, just how afraid are you? Reminder: The Congress party fought for our nation's independence, equipped only with truth, non-violence & the will of the people. We won then, we'll win again."

B.V. Srinivas, chief of the Youth Congress, lashed out at Twitter and alleged it was "openly batting" for the BJP. Srinivas tweeted, "First Rahul Gandhi ji's account, Then Congress Workers account, Then Congress Leaders account, & Now official account of @INCIndia. Twitter is openly batting as a frontal organization of BJP. Are we still living in India or North Korea?"

Numerous supporters and activists of the Congress tweeted "digital emergency" to describe the locking of accounts linked to the party. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called on Twitter to revise its policies before news of the locking of the party’s official handle.

Tharoor tweeted, "I understand @Twitter’s position that it has no choice but block accounts that violate Indian law &Twitter policy. While the law is what it is, policy can be reviewed. Automatically locking accounts is an extreme step that stifles the freedom of expression of Indian citizens. The perception of double standards makes matters worse. When a BJP national spokesman posted a picture of the Hathras rape victim (violating Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code) @Twitter did not lock his account. SC Commission posted a pic of the victim’s family 2 Aug;no action."

Tharoor added, "Action taken against a prominent Opposition leader raises obvious concerns of selectivity & bias. I urge @Twitter to restore @RahulGandhi’s account, review the policy of automatic suspensions & show more sensitivity to public concerns. Focus on what happened to the girl, not a pic!"