Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has once again criticized former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. He questioned Dorsey’s recent statement regarding India’s pressure on the social media platform during the farmers’ protests earlier this year. Chandrasekhar called Dorsey’s allegations an outright lie and suggested that the former CEO may be trying to gain relevance during the ongoing US political season.
Chandrasekhar stressed that India is a democratic country that abides by the rule of law, and no punitive consequences were imposed on Twitter. He slammed social media platforms for exercising arbitrary and misuse of power, reinforcing the need for guardrails worldwide. The minister previously criticized Dorsey’s claims, calling them an attempt to brush out Twitter’s dubious history.
Dorsey alleged in an interview with the YouTube channel ‘Breaking Points’ that Twitter faced pressure from the Indian government to block accounts and faced threats of winding down operations. He claimed that Twitter refused to comply with the government’s demands, which led to raids on employees’ homes. However, India’s authorities have strongly denied these allegations.
Chandrasekhar’s comments further escalate the ongoing tensions between Twitter and the Indian government. The government has repeatedly accused the social media giant of violating its laws and failing to comply with its directives. Twitter, on the other hand, has claimed that India’s recent IT rules threaten free speech and violate users’ privacy rights.
The latest statement by Chandrasekhar indicates that the Indian government is not backing down from its stance against Twitter. The situation is likely to escalate further, with both sides showing no willingness to compromise. The ongoing tensions between Twitter and the Indian government have highlighted the need for better regulation of social media platforms worldwide.
