New Digital Rules Aim To Stifle, Terrorise Social Media, Alleges Congress

Congress alleged that the new rules have hit a severe blow to the vibrant culture of discourse, deliberations and dissent in a democracy like India.

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 Manu 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.