‘Bond Chor: Narendra Modi’ among 4 political posts X removed on EC’s demand
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X, the social media platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has expressed deep concerns over the Election Commission's order asking it to take down four posts from political parties and leaders, stating that it disagrees with the action, which affects freedom of expression that should be extended to political speeches in general.
As the Lok Sabha elections draw near in the country, the Election Commission holds the opinion that the posts by political entities including the YSRCP, Aam Aadmi Party, Chandrababu Naidu, and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary are violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in nature as reasons to withhold those for the remainder of the election period.
The controversial content ranged from allegations of criminal activities to personal attacks, prompting the ECI to intervene.
Among the removed posts was one by the Aam Aadmi Party, featuring a morphed image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the title 'Bond Chor,' referencing the Electoral Bonds case.
The EC found the posts provocative and in violation of the MCC guidelines, which stipulate that criticism of other political parties should be limited to their policies and programs, avoiding personal attacks or unverified allegations.
BJP leader Samrat Choudhary's post, wherein he made derogatory remarks about former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, also fell under scrutiny. Choudhary's comments, deemed as low-level personal attacks, were flagged by the ECI, reinforcing the need for dignified political discourse during election campaigns.
The YSRCP's post, targeting the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) over a drug bust in Visakhapatnam, further fuelled the fire. Labelling the TDP as the 'Telugu Drugs Party,' the YSRCP's statement raised eyebrows and drew condemnation from the Election Commission for its unverified allegations and derogatory tone.
Notably, even TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's remarks on the same issue were not spared. Naidu's characterization of Andhra Pradesh as the "drug capital of India" and insinuations of complicity by the ruling party were met with disapproval by the ECI, citing violations of the MCC and advisory issued by the commission.
In response to the takedown orders, X expressed disagreement with the actions of the ECI, asserting that “In compliance with the orders, we have withheld these posts for the remainder of the election period. However, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts and political speech in general”.