Call day as night or face jail: Priyanka Gandhi on new UP social media policy

Congress general-secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on the Uttar Pradesh government’s new social media policy, criticising it as a "regressive and self-glorifying" measure.

In a satirical post on X, she mocked the policy, saying, "Jo tumko ho pasand wohi baat kahenge. Tum din ko agar raat kaho raat kahenge (we will say whatever you want. If you call day as night, it will be night)"

Priyanka also raised pointed questions about the policy’s implications. She challenged the state government on its commitment to women's safety and demanded answers regarding the unresolved 69,000 teacher recruitment reservation case.

“In which category will the voices of women seeking justice fall under this social media policy? What about those raising concerns over the 69,000 teacher recruitment reservation scam? And where would exposing the BJP government's failures by its own leaders and MLAs fall?” she questioned.

The Congress leader’s remarks came on the heels of a shocking incident in Farrukhabad district, where two girls were found hanging from a tree, raising serious concerns about women's safety in the state.

Priyanka Gandhi further accused the Yogi Adityanath government of using the new policy to stifle free speech and suppress dissent. She argued that instead of addressing the people’s pressing issues, the government was more focused on finding new ways to suppress the truth.

"The policy of 'if you call day as night, then it is night or else jail' is yet another tactic to silence the truth. Does the BJP have no other agenda than to crush democracy and undermine the Constitution?" she added.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved the Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy 2024, which consists of two main components: promoting government schemes and cracking down on objectionable and offensive posts on social media.

Under this policy, the Uttar Pradesh government will pay influencers and account holders on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube with payments of up to Rs 8 lakh per month, based on their follower and subscriber counts, for promoting government schemes.

However, the policy also imposes penalties for content that is deemed anti-national, obscene, or objectionable. The government has warned that it will pursue legal action against social media operators, influencers, firms, or agencies if such "objectionable content" is uploaded.

The policy has sparked outrage among opposition parties, who have condemned it as a blatant attempt to curb freedom of speech. They argue that it gives the state administration sweeping powers to ‘torture and terrorize’ citizens for merely speaking the truth.

Former UP CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the scheme as "a bribe given by the BJP for favouritism".

"The BJP is trying to create a new age bard who will always lie at the feet of the government to cover up its misdeeds. BJP is serving lies on a platter of corruption. Self-promotion using public tax money is a new type of corruption," Yadav said.