Priyanka Accused Modi Govt of Seeking to Stifle Digital and Social Media with the Broadcast Bill

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Modi government on Monday of preparing to "gag" digital media, social media, OTT platforms, and those who write and speak in a private capacity by introducing the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, saying the country will not tolerate such actions.

The Congress national secretary tweeted on X two lines from Mahatma Gandhi (Young India, 1922) and Jawaharlal Nehru (March 1940) emphasizing the significance of free speech and journalism.

"These two incidents demonstrate that our citizens do not have automatic freedom of speech and press. "Millions of people have fought for it for years," Priyanka Gandhi wrote in Hindi on X.

"Civil liberties and freedom of the press are the great legacy of our martyrs and freedom fighters," she said. Priyanka Gandhi stated that no administration in independent India could ever consider suppressing individuals' freedom.

"Today, on one side by the use of power, the entire media has been turned into a government mouthpiece, and on the other hand, the BJP government is preparing to gag digital media, social media, OTT platforms and even those who write and speak in a private capacity by bringing the broadcast bill," she said.

"This is totally unacceptable."The country will not tolerate such actions," she declared. The Congress charged on Friday that the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill was a direct danger to free speech and independent media, and that it would pave the way for "excessive surveillance" online.

Pawan Khera, the chairman of Congress' media and publicity department, had asked people to speak out against what he called the "government's tyranny".

While numerous people on social media have expressed alarm about certain alleged aspects of the proposed law, the government has stated that the measure is still being drafted and that stakeholder consultation is ongoing.

In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said, "The draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, seeking to replace the existing Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and guidelines regulating the broadcasting sector, was placed in the public domain for comments of stakeholders, including domain experts and the general public, on 10.11.2023.

"The stakeholder consultation is presently happening. The bill is still in the drafting stage," he remarked.