Rahul Gandhi says Facebook’s, WhatsApp’s brazen assault on India’s democracy, social harmony; demands probe

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called for an investigation into the operations of social media giants, Facebook and WhatsApp, in India and asserted that no one can be allowed to interfere in our nation’s affairs.

He claimed that international media have fully exposed Facebook’s and WhatsApp’s brazen assault on India’s democracy and social harmony.

“International media have fully exposed Facebook’s & WhatsApp’s brazen assault on India’s democracy & social harmony. No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation’s affairs. They must be investigated immediately & when found guilty, punished,” he tweeted while citing a media report.

International media have fully exposed Facebook’s & WhatsApp’s brazen assault on India’s democracy & social harmony.

No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation’s affairs.

They must be investigated immediately & when found guilty, punished. pic.twitter.com/5tRw797L2y

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 1, 2020

Earlier, the Congress leader had alleged that the BJP has a hold over WhatsApp and said the platform now needs the approval of the Central government to launch its payment services in India.

“America’s Time magazine exposes WhatsApp-BJP nexus: Used by 40 Cr Indians, WhatsApp also wants to be used for making payments for which Modi Govt’s approval is needed. Thus, BJP has a hold over WhatsApp,” he had tweeted while citing a media report.

Congress alleged “quid-pro-quo” relationship between Facebook and the BJP and wrote a letter to the social networking platform founder Mark Zuckerberg seeking information about steps the company is planning to take to investigate the matter.

“We draw your attention to the article in Time magazine dated Aug 27, 2020, that reveals more information and evidence of biases and a quid-pro-quo relationship of Facebook India with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” read the letter by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal to Zuckerberg.

The party had earlier sent a letter to Zuckerberg on August 17 drawing his attention to an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Facebook’s Hate-Speech Rules Collide with Indian Politics” that outlined Facebook India team’s “blatant biases and interference” in India’s democracy, Venugopal stated.