Delhi, 11 October (H.S.): Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday categorically denied any government involvement in the temporary suspension of Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav’s Facebook account.Yadav’s verified Facebook page, which has nearly eight million followers, was blocked for about 12 hours on Friday night.
The Samajwadi Party strongly condemned the move, calling it an “attack on democracy,” and claimed the government was behind the action.Speaking to media persons in New Delhi, Vaishnaw dismissed the allegations, stating that the Government of India had “no role whatsoever” in the matter.
He clarified that the action was taken by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, due to a policy violation involving “offensive and violent content.”“The government had no interference in this,” the minister said. “Meta acted independently under its community guidelines.”
According to party sources, Facebook restored Yadav’s account on Saturday afternoon after the Samajwadi Party’s IT team raised the issue with the platform. Meta officials reportedly cited “violent and obscene posts” as the reason for the temporary suspension.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to silence dissent. “Akhilesh Yadav’s verified account cannot be suspended without government pressure,” he alleged, demanding a transparent explanation from the social media giant.
The brief suspension triggered a fresh political flashpoint between the ruling BJP and the opposition in Uttar Pradesh, with the Samajwadi Party calling for greater transparency in social media moderation policies.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar