The BJP has reacted with trepidation after Twitter took an extraordinary step to permanently ban Donald Trump from its platform over the risk of ‘further incitement of violence’. BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya and youth wing president Tejasvi Surya have reacted in shock, criticising Twitter’s decision.
Surya, who’s had to face plenty of criticism in the past for hate speech, took to Twitter to write, “This must be wake up call for all who don’t yet understand threat to our democracies by unregulated big tech companies. If they can do this to POTUS, they can do this to anyone. Sooner India reviews intermediaries regulations, better for our democracy.”
This must be wake up call for all who don’t yet understand threat to our democracies by unregulated big tech companies.
If they can do this to POTUS, they can do this to anyone.
Sooner India reviews intermediaries regulations, better for our democracy.@GoI_MeitY https://t.co/SWzaBfycJ8
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) January 9, 2021
Malviya, who too had to face condemnation for using social media platforms to peddle fake news, too expressed his displeasure over Twitter’s decision to deplatform Trump. He wrote, “Deplatforming Donald Trump, a sitting US president, sets a dangerous precedent. It has less to do with his views and more to do with intolerance for a differing point. Ironically, those who claim to champion free speech are celebrating. Big tech firms are now the new oligarchs.”
Deplatforming Donald Trump, a sitting US president, sets a dangerous precedent.
It has less to do with his views and more to do with intolerance for a differing point. Ironically, those who claim to champion free speech are celebrating.
Big tech firms are now the new oligarchs.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 9, 2021
However, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi felt that Twitter’s punitive action against Trump was too little too late. She wrote in a series of tweets, “The platform is provided by a tech company&they are bound to set their rules of engagement after adhering to guidelines set by countries. However for them to have amplified a hateful narrative for years to suddenly ban does not give them the moral high ground they seek.
“These platforms have been enablers of hate, fake news and continue to be so in different parts of the world where they operate. Now that Trump is out of power suspension coming from all these very platforms that powered him.
Sowed hate to reap profits& now being holier than thou.”
Earlier, a statement from Twitter Safety had said on its decision to ban Trump, “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
“In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter rules would potentially result in this very course of action,” it had added.