Didn’t ask Facebook to drop #ResignModi: Government
Earlier hashtag #ResignModi, demanding the resignation ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi was dropped by Facebook. When the users tried toview the hashtag they saw a message saying that Facebook was temporarily hidingthe post in order to keep the community safe.
After the incident, a Wall Street Journal report allegedthat this temporary blocking of the hashtag #ResignModi was an attempt tosilence people’s voices. Now, the government has issued a statement clarifyingthat Government did not ask social media platform to take down the hashtag andclaimed reports to be misleading and mischievous.
“A story by Wall Street Journal attributing removal ofthe certain hashtag by Facebook to GOI’s effort to curb public dissent ismisleading on the facts and mischievous in intent,” said government.“Government has not issued any direction to remove this hashtag. Facebook hasalso clarified that it was removed by mistake” further added in the statement.
The hashtag and post are now restored and Facebook claimsthat #ResignModi was blocked by mistake. The company has clarified that thegovernment did not ask them to remove any post.
“We temporarily blocked thishashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and havesince restored it,” the company said.
The government of India also accused the Wall StreetJournal of spreading fake news and gave the example of a similar incident. On 5March 2021, Wall Street Journal has published fake news with the heading ‘IndiaThreatens Jail for Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter Employees.’
The governmentclaimed this story to be fake and manufactured.
Further in the statement, the Government of India saidmedia has an important role to play in the pandemic, which will multiply theefforts of front-line workers and medical professionals. Indian governmenturged the media to partner with the people of India during the battle against the pandemic.