New Delhi, Oct 13 A day after INDIA bloc parties wrote to Meta and Alphabet, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday blasted the government alleging that it is a gospel truth that the social media is being used and misused by the ruling dispensation.
Speaking to the media here at the party headquarters, Chowdhury, who is also the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha said: "It’s a gospel truth that the social media is being used and misused by the ruling dispensation. Certainly those who are in-charge of those media they should be intimated and accordingly our views have been ventilated to them."
His remarks came a day after the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties on Thursday wrote to Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai saying they are culpable of abetting social disharmony and inciting communal hatred in India.
It also alleged algorithmic moderation and suppression of Opposition leaders content on their platform while promoting ruling party (BJP) content.
INDIA parties also warned the two companies that in view of the upcoming national elections in 2024, it should consider these facts "seriously" and ensure immediately that Meta's and Alphabet's operations "in India remain neutral" and are not used wittingly or unwittingly to cause social unrest or distort India's much cherished democratic ideals.
Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks, the Congress MP said, "India was attacked certainly. Our Parliament itself was attacked by the terrorists and that the country stood beside the ruling dispensation and we fought it out. Everybody knows it. The issue is that the Parliament and Parliamentary democracy, etiquettes protocols and practices that should be maintained by letter and spirit. That is our view."
Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister slamming the opposition parties on freebies, Chowdhury said: "Only Modi can fulfill the freebies. Modi distributing the concessions that cannot be called freebies, what is the definition of the freebies? Let Prime Minister elucidate to the people of our country. What's sauce for the goose must be the sauce for the gender. Modiji cannot make such kind of distinction."
He said, "If Modiji is able to offer freebies without being met the reason behind before the election 2014 he offered the people that Rs 15 lakh will be given to each and every pocket.
"So that kind of freebies were not realised as those were election jumlas, as was spelt out by Modiji’s commander in chief," he said in an indirect jibe at Home Minister Amit Shah.
Chowdhury said that what Congress is proposing is being realised and met. "We are following our promises by letter and spirit and Modiji is only foolowing the letter and not by spirit," he added.
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