BKU National Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has supported former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s claim that the Indian government exerted pressure on the social media platform to block accounts covering the farmers’ protests. In an interview with the YouTube channel ‘Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar’, Dorsey alleged that the Indian government threatened to shut down Twitter in India and raid the homes of its employees if it did not comply. Tikait, who was leading protests against three government farm policies in 2020-2021 that have since been overturned, stated that the BJP-ruled government must have made such attempts. He further emphasized that whatever Dorsey mentioned was correct.
Featuring images of Tikait speaking to reporters surrounded by fellow BKU members, news outlets across India are reporting on the story. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three Central farm laws in November 2021, following large-scale protests by farmers against the government’s policies. The three farm laws are the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. Dorsey’s comments reflect growing concerns worldwide around government censorship of social media but also reveal the power dynamics at play between corporate interests and state-run bodies.
