Modi govt threatened Twitter with dire consequences: CEO

Mumbai, June 13 (FN Agency) NCP state chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase on Tuesday said in a startling revelation former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the BJP Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressurised Twitter to block accounts of senior journalists and all those associated with the farmer’s protest. If Twitter did not toe the BJP line then they will have to face dire consequences such as raids on various officials of Twitter and a permanent backup of Twitter from India, said the former CEO in an interview. Now it is clear that the Modi Government was trying to suppress the voice of all those leaders who supported the farm agitation and disagreed with the government’s agenda, he said.Was the country wrong in supporting the farmers who were protesting for their own rights, Tapase questioned?Is criticizing a particular Government policy not within our constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right of freedom of expression and speech?

I think PM Modi’s Government has forgotten that India stands on the founding principles of democracy where the voice of the people is supreme, said Tapase commenting on the interview of Jack Dorsey.In Maharashtra now it is amply clear that all is not well within the BJP and the Shinde camp said the NCP leader who asserted that CM Shinde is upset after statements by BJP leaders in Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency demanding the replacement of MP Shrikant Shinde of the Sena and claiming candidature for the BJP. Tapase said the recent advertisement released by the Shinde Sena clearly shows a rift between the BJP and the CM. It is good that finally, CM Shinde has realised that there cannot be a permanent symbiotic relationship with the BJP which always ends up cannibalising its ally. BJP will pressurize all Shinde nominees to contest on the Lotus symbol or face political isolation, reiterated Tapase.