“Twitter is attacking democracy, interfering in political process”- Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today called Twitter a biased platform and interfering in India’s political process. He said, ” “This is not an attack on Rahul Gandhi or simply about shutting Rahul Gandhi down. This is an attack on the democratic structure of the country,”

Today the official YouTube channel of Congress posted a video titled  “Twitter’s Dangerous Game”, in which Rahul Gandhi said, “I have some 19 to 20 million followers, you are denying them the right to an opinion,” Gandhi said. “It is not only patently unfair but also breaching the idea that Twitter is a neutral platform.”

The statement comes after  Twitter temporality locking several leaders cut off their accounts for sharing a photograph of the family of a nine-year-old rape victim in Delhi. Accounts of Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ajay Maken, Sushmita Dev, and Manickam Tagore were among those temporarily locked, Congress functionaries aware of the matter said.

Gandhi further said that social media platforms are ‘very dangerous for investors since taking sides in a political context always has repercussions. He said that at a time when India’s “democracy is under attack”, Twitter is proving to be a “biased platform” which “listens to what the government of the day says”.

“The democracy is under attack, we are not allowed to speak in the Parliament, the media is controlled and I thought there was a ray of light where we could put what we thought on Twitter,” Rahul Gandhi said. “But that is not the case, it is now obvious that Twitter is a biased platform and it’s something that listens to what the government of the day says.” he continued.

However, in an interview the Twitter India’s official head said,  “certain types of private information carry higher risks than others” and that it was the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which alerted the company about the specific content on the platform allegedly revealing the identity of the alleged sexual assault victim and her parents. It added the matter was reviewed in line with Twitter rules as well as the concerns expressed as per Indian law.”