Indian government registers protest after Twitter declares Sambit Patra’s tweet on ‘Toolkit’ controversy as ‘manipulated’

By
JKR Staff
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The Centre’s Narendra Modi government has reportedly registered a strong protest after Twitter tagged a tweet by Sambit Patra on the ‘Toolkit controversy’ as a ‘manipulated media.’ The Narendra Modi government is reported to have urged the microblogging site to remove the tag as this discredited the Hindutva party, which is facing widespread condemnation for its inept handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
संबित पात्रा

The BJP had launched a sustained attack against the Congress this week, accusing the opposition party of orchestrating a well-coordinated attack against the Mosdi government on the mishandling of the pandemic. Several BJP leaders had alleged that the Congress had managed to influence the international media for a negative coverage against the Modi government.

However, the Congress had filed police complaints in Chhattisgarh and Delhi against several BJP leaders including JP Nadda, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Sambit Patra. Patra had tweeted on 18 May, “Friends look at the #CongressToolKit in extending help to the needy during the Pandemic! More of a PR exercise with the help of “Friendly Journalists” & “Influencers” than a soulful endeavour. Read for yourselves the agenda of the Congress: #CongressToolKitExposed.”

The Congress had accused the BJP of forging its letterhead to accuse the opposition party of having shared the so-called ‘Toolkit’ to defame the Indian government. Twitter later added the ‘manipulated media’ tag on Patra’s tweet.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has reportedly asked Twitter to remove the tag. A report by NDTV said that, in its protest note, the Indian government told Twitter that its decision to declare BJP leader’s tweet as ‘manipulated’ was ‘prejudicial, a clear overreach and unwarranted.’