After its senior leadership was caricatured in social media websites Google and Facebook, information technology and telecommunications Kapil Sibal has made it clear to these internet sites, in no uncertain terms, that such “derogatory and defamatory” content would not be allowed and directed them to “screen user content.”
Congress politicians like Shashi Tharoor, who, till recently, termed it 'political censorship', today did a U-turn and echoed the party's sentiment. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's move has resulted in a heated debate over ‘press censorship’, with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament, Varun Gandhi, accusing the Congress-led UPA of gagging the “only democratic medium free of vested interests”.
Sibal later sought to clarify, “This government does not believe in either directly or indirectly interfering with the freedom of the press.” He, however, added, “I have told them this cannot go on.”
The 'offensive material' that angered the party includes images of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, apart from images that 'could offend the sentiments of a particular community'.
Speaking to Business Standard, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, “If anyone criticises Congress policies and issues, it can be accepted. But being libelous on a personal basis cannot be tolerated. Making false personal allegations would be dealt with sternly, according to the law.”
“You cannot have a social website demeaning political leaders by being outrageous and abusive,” he added. Singh has, in the past, filed FIRs against online sites, which he alleged carried defamatory material on him.
The Gandhi leadership is considered sacrosanct and therefore, the party has rallied to send out a strong clear message, even though this might border on press censorship. Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singh rejected such an allegation, saying, “There cannot be any other (political party) which believes in transparency, openness and free speech more than the Congress.”
With the party diktat clear on what is definitely a 'sensitive' issue, as far the party's top leadership is concerned, Congress politicians, who otherwise are vocal on most issues, were not willing to speak on record. As a leader put it, “This is an issue that should be dismissed without making much of it. If indeed the view is that these are defamatory, the government should act according to the law. But how long can you gag down social space? After all, these websites are successful because they allow free speech and expression.”
Undeterred by the criticism this move has generated, both politically and in the cyber world, the Congress-led UPA government seems determined to crack down on any similar content in the future.
