Twitter locks accounts of Congress, party leaders, days after Rahul’s tweet in ‘rape’ case

The Congress has accused the Modi government of using the social media platform to target opposition.

A file photo of Congress supporters. | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht

New Delhi: The Congress party’s Twitter handle was locked early Thursday, days after the account of ex-party chief Rahul Gandhi saw similar action over a controversial tweet in an alleged rape case.

In a post on photo-sharing app Instagram Thursday, the party shared a screenshot of its locked Twitter account, with the caption: “Modi ji, just how afraid are you?”

Late Wednesday, the Congress also claimed that the accounts of its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore, and leaders Ajay Maken and Sushmita Dev were also locked.

Row over Rahul’s tweet

Twitter’s move to lock the accounts came after Congress leaders started posting screenshots of a tweet by Rahul Gandhi, which had led to his account being locked last week.

In the original tweet, Rahul had posted pictures of himself with the family of a 9-year-old Dalit girl, who was allegedly raped in the national capital.

Subsequently, Congress leaders started trending “#मैं_भी_Rahul” (I too am Rahul), accusing the social media giant of selectively attacking Rahul, when leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had also posted pictures of the family.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written a letter to Twitter last week demanding that action be taken against Gandhi’s tweet, alleging that it violated the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and Juvenile Justice Act.

On Wednesday, Twitter informed the Delhi High Court that it locked Gandhi’s account as the tweet was in breach of its policies.

Support from other Congress leaders

Congress leaders whose accounts are active have expressed solidarity with those who are facing action.

Shashi Tharoor, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on IT, said the “action taken against a prominent Opposition leader raises obvious concerns of selectivity&bias (sic)”.

“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,” he wrote.

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.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 12, 2021