Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the Union government on Friday, alleging that recently tightened social media compliance rules requiring platforms to delete flagged content within three hours are designed to suppress public criticism and silence opposition voices.
Addressing supporters, the former Delhi Chief Minister claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grown increasingly apprehensive following recent youth-led demonstrations and public protests at Jantar Mantar.
‘3-hour deletion rule aimed at muzzling criticism’
Kejriwal directly targeted the Centre’s updated Information Technology directives, which mandate social media platforms—including Instagram, Facebook, and X—to remove content flagged by the government or courts within three hours.
“The Modi government has introduced a new law. If the government asks any social media platform… to delete a post or video, it will have to be removed within three hours,” Kejriwal said, arguing that the quick-response window leaves little space for independent review or public discourse.
He further alleged that the rule would be weaponized to scrub posts raising governance issues, including recruitment exam paper leaks, the government’s ethanol blending policy, and official corruption.
Allegations of selective action & bias
The AAP chief accused the administration of practicing selective censorship while ignoring abusive content generated by pro-government handles.
“If you speak against Modi ji, the government, paper leaks, the ethanol issue, or corruption, your post will be deleted within three hours. But if people associated with them use abusive language or target women, no action is taken against such content,” Kejriwal claimed.
‘Rulers who fear their citizens cannot last’
Linking the policy shift to recent youth-led anti-government demonstrations, Kejriwal claimed that the administration is acting out of fear rather than accountability.
“Modi ji fears the people of this country. He fears the youth, children, and women. Ever since the protests at Jantar Mantar, he has been gripped by fear,” he said.
Warning that suppressing digital expression would backfire, Kejriwal added: “The solution is not to silence people’s voices. If the government does good work, people will praise it on their own… The days of a ruler who fears his own people are numbered. The more you try to suppress the voices of the people, the stronger their anger will become.”
