'Daro mat', Congress tells Twitter; questions PM's 'silence' on Dalit girl case

'Daro Mat' (don't be scared) was the message Congress sought to give to the microblogging site Twitter a day after it accused the social media platform of having removed Rahul Gandhi's tweet and suspending his account over putting out pictures of the family of a nine-year-old Dalit girl of Delhi, who was allegedly raped and murdered.

At a press conference at AICC headquarters, AICC spokespersons Supriya Shrinate, Ragini Nayak, Alka Lamba and Amrita Dhawan also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling him his "silence" over the alleged rape and murder of the nine-year-old Dalit girl in Delhi is "condemnable".

The Congress also drew parallel of Delhi incident with the much publicised incidents of similar nature in Hathras and Unnao in the BJP-ruled UP and cited 2019 figures from National Crime Records Bureau to buttress its point that crime against women particularly those belonging to Dalit community has risen.

Congress accused Twitter of acting in "haste under pressure" in removing Rahul Gandhi's tweet and "suspending" his account. Party communication chief Randeep Surjewala tweeted, "Wah Modi ji, when the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on August 2 puts up the pictures of their meeting with the parents of the victim on Twitter, it is right. When a former MP and NCSC Commission member puts up photos of the victim's parents on August 3, it is right. And if Rahul Gandhi ji seeks justice for their daughter, then it is a crime."

Twitter has, however, maintained that it can confirm that the account has not been suspended and continues to be in service. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had on Wednesday asked the Delhi Police and Twitter on Wednesday to take action over Gandhi's tweet, saying it violates the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Opposition Video

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also tweeted a video, released by TMC MP Derek O' Brien, regarding the opposition's strategy raising the Pegasus issue and the contentious farm laws during discussions of bills in the Rajya Sabha.

The three-minute video captioned ""Mr Modi come listen to us", compiled using clips from RSTV and consisting of statements made by the opposition MPs in the Upper House, is in an attempt to make the government listen to their demands, Opposition leaders said on Sunday.