The Wall Street Journal, in a report dated April 28 has insinuated that the Modi government asked social media giant Facebook to remove the #ResignModi trend – which is why the hashtag was blocked for several hours. The said hashtag, which has been trending on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is being used amid an international media onslaught against India for its handling of the pandemic. Many Indians and vested interest groups are making complete and unfettered use of the hashtag to forward their own nefarious agenda during a national crisis.
Wall Street Journal sought to inflame sentiments within India, and internationally project the country as one where government-mandated censorship is rampant and the order of the day. However, the reality is that Facebook was never asked by the Modi government to remove the said hashtag. In fact, Facebook has itself come forward and said that it received no directive from the Government of India to block the #ResignModi trend. Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman said, “We temporarily blocked this hashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and have since restored it.”
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Thursday said that the report was misleading on facts and mischievous in intent. In a series of tweets, the Ministry said, “A story by Wall Street Journal attributing removal of a certain hashtag by Facebook to GOI’s efforts to curb public dissent is misleading on facts and mischievous in intent. Govt has not issued any direction to remove this hashtag. Facebook has also clarified that it was removed by mistake.”
A story by @WSJ attributing removal of a certain hashtag by Facebook to GOI's efforts to curb public dissent is misleading on facts and mischievous in intent. Govt has not issued any direction to remove this hashtag. Facebook has also clarified that it was removed by mistake. https://t.co/uzgQ55PNMe
— Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) April 29, 2021
Media has a very important role to play in acting as a force multiplier to the efforts of our front-line workers and medical professionals. At a sensitive time like this, we would urge the media to partner with crores of ordinary Indians as we collectively fight the pandemic.
— Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) April 29, 2021
The Ministry’s rebuttal to the WSJ’s fake report included, “Media has a very important role to play in acting as a force multiplier to the efforts of our front-line workers and medical professionals. At a sensitive time like this, we would urge the media to partner with crores of ordinary Indians as we collectively fight the pandemic.” It also mentioned how the American publication had, in March, published a fake news story with the heading – “India Threatens Jail for Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter Employees”. It said the Government had sent an official rebuttal to that completely fake and manufactured story as well.
Wall Street Journal’s fake news story being published is in larger trend with international media outlets having consecutive field days on end, during which they are attacking India for not being able to control the second wave of Covid-19. Foreign publications and media networks have been gleefully reporting India’s misery and