Twitter locks Congress's official handle, party claims govt pressure

Congress social media department head claimed the Congress account and around 5,000 accounts of its leaders and workers have been blocked

Congress on Thursday claimed that its official Twitter account as well as that of a number of its leaders have been blocked with the party claiming that the micro-blogging site was acting under Narendra Modi government's pressure and Rahul Gandhi saying that he is guilty if showing compassion and empathy is a crime.

Soon after, the Congress started a concerted campaign with supporters changing their handles to "I am Rahul Gandhi". Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi changed her profile picture with that of her brother Rahul.

Twitter's action of blocking former Congress president Rahul's account after he shared pictures of the family of a nine-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and murdered. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had written to Twitter India seeking action against Rahul's account after he posted the pictures of the interaction he had with the girl's family.

As Congress picked up the campaign, Twitter also locked the party's handle. "If showing compassion and empathy is a crime, then I am guilty," Rahul posted on Instagram.

Priyanka targeted Twitter saying, "is Twitter following its own policy for the suspension of Congress leaders' accounts or the Modi government's? Why hadn't it locked the account of the SC commission that had tweeted similar photos before any of our leaders did? By locking Congress leaders' accounts en masse, Twitter is blatantly colluding with the stifling of democracy by the BJP government in India."

Congress social media department head Rohan Gupta claimed the Congress account and around 5,000 accounts of its leaders and workers have been blocked.

The Twitter accounts of Congress General Secretaries Randeep Surjewala, K C Venugopal, Ajay Maken, party's Whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, Assam in-charge and former Union minister Jitendra Singh and Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev have also been locked among others.

Responding to the charges, a Twitter spokesperson said the company's rules are enforced judiciously and impartially for everyone in its service. "We have taken proactive action on several hundred Tweets that posted an image that violated our Rules and may continue to do so in line with our range of enforcement options. Certain types of private information carry higher risks than others, and our aim is always to protect individuals’ privacy and safety," the spokesperson said.

Also Read — Congress alleges Twitter handles of five senior leaders, including Randeep Surjewala, locked

In an Instagram post, the Congress said, "The official Twitter account of the Congress party has been locked by Twitter India. Modiji, just how afraid are you? Reminder: The Congress party fought for our nation's independence, equipped only with truth, non-violence and the will of the people. We won then, we'll win again."

"Twitter is clearly acting under government's pressure, as it did not remove the same pictures shared by the Twitter accounts of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes for a few days," Gupta said.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien came out in support of Congress and said they strongly condemned the blocking of accounts of the party and its leaders. "What’s going on @Twitter, @TwitterIndia, @jack? What’s going on ? We strongly condemn the blocking of the accounts of @INCIndia and senior leaders of the Congress party," he tweeted.

Congress Social Media Coordinator Nitin Agarwal said, "to support our leader who is raising voice and asking for justice for the victim, we have started a campaign and changed our handles to 'I am Rahul Gandhi'."

Congress Secretary in-charge of the party's Communications Department Pranav Jha, tweeted before his account was blocked on Wednesday night, ""So! After Rahul Gandhi, the Lord @narendramodi Ji and Vassal @Jack & @twitter have locked @rssurjewala, @ajaymaken & @sushmitadevinc. @INCIndia registers its protest and promises to continue the fight for each and all being wronged! We shall hold on @AshwiniVaishnaw-ji,"

"The list goes on. @Twitter locks @JitendraSAlwar and @manickamtagore and many more. Doesn't Modi Ji understand that we @INCindia'ns have a legacy of fighting even from behind the locks of kaala paani...He thinks the virtual locks of Twitter will deter us from fighting for India," he tweeted.

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