New Delhi: Criticising the new intermediary rules for social media as “draconian”, the Congress on Wednesday demanded that the government shed its “Big Daddy” approach and not stifle free speech and expression which are like oxygen in a democracy. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged that the new rules are aimed at terrorising the social media and strangulating free thought and expression in the arena which “the BJP and the Modi government now see as a threat to them”.
He, however, said the Congress has not taken a policy decision yet on whether to move court against the new rules. “This is complete censorship, complete thought control, complete terrorising of the social media and complete control freak,” he told reporters.
He said free speech and expression, including on messaging platforms on social media, “is the vital oxygen for democracy” to enable it to survive. “We implore you Modi ji, we implore you BJP, one oxygen during COVID times you have diminished, please don’t do it to the oxygen of democracy… Please don’t strangulate it, please don’t asphyxiate it,” he said.