New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the Centre’s newly introduced social media rules are intended to suppress criticism of the government and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become fearful of growing public protests.
Kejriwal claimed that under the new rules, social media platforms would be required to remove any content flagged by the government within three hours.
“Whether it is Instagram, Facebook or any other platform, if the government asks for a post or video to be removed, it will have to be taken down within three hours,” he said.
The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that the rules would be used to remove posts critical of the government on issues such as paper leaks, the ethanol policy and corruption.
“If you speak against Modi ji, the government, paper leaks, the ethanol issue or corruption, your post will be deleted within three hours. But when people associated with them use abusive language or target women, no action is taken,” Kejriwal alleged.
Referring to the recent Gen-Z protests and demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal claimed the Prime Minister had become increasingly concerned following the public mobilisation.
“Modi ji is afraid of the people of this country. He is afraid of the youth, children and women. After the protests at Jantar Mantar, he has become fearful,” he alleged.
Kejriwal further said that suppressing public opinion would not resolve the government’s challenges but would instead increase public anger.
“The solution is not to silence people’s voices. If a government performs well, people will appreciate it on their own. The public has no personal enmity with anyone. But if criticism is suppressed instead of addressing people’s concerns, public resentment will only grow,” he said.
He also claimed that governments which fear their own citizens do not survive for long.
