Farmers' protest: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre after Twitter blocks accounts over provocative content

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Central government on Tuesday after Twitter temporarily blocked accounts and posts related to the ongoing farmers' agitation on the direction of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Citing a media article about the microblogging site's action, Gandhi Tweeted, "Modi style of governance- Shut them up. Cut them off. Crush them down."

Twitter on Monday temporarily blocked around 250 accounts and posts after MeitY directed the microblogging platform to take action against several accounts for making 'fake, intimidatory and provocative' Tweets related to the ongoing farmers' agitation.

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This was done at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcement agencies to prevent any escalation of law and order in view of the farmers' agitation and to act against accounts that are using the microblogging platform for spreading "false and provocative content".

"Many countries have laws that may apply to Tweets and/or Twitter account content. In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a properly scoped request from an authorized entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time," Twitter said in a statement to ANI.

Earlier today, Gandhi also advised the BJP-led central government to 'build bridges and not walls', after security was beefed up at different borders of the national capital in light of the ongoing farmers' protest.

"GOI, Build bridges, not walls!," tweeted the Congress leader.

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On January 26, farmers broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their tractor rally against the Centre's three new farm laws.

Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)

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