Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s official Facebook account, which was allegedly suspended late Friday evening, has been restored, with the issue triggering a political controversy and sharp allegations from the SP against the ruling BJP.
The verified account, which boasts over 8 million followers and is a primary platform for Yadav to share his political views and critique the government, became inaccessible on Friday around 6 PM, leading to immediate uproar within the Samajwadi Party camp.
Allegations of ‘Undeclared Emergency’
Samajwadi Party leaders were quick to condemn the action, alleging it was a political move orchestrated by the ruling dispensation to suppress the voice of the Opposition. SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chaand termed the suspension an “attack on democracy” and accused the BJP government of imposing an “undeclared emergency in the country, where it wants to suppress every voice raised in opposition.”
Other party leaders, including SP’s national secretary Rajeev Rai, called the blocking of the account a “blow to India’s democratic system” and warned that attempting to suppress the voice of socialists was a “mistake.”
IT Minister Denies Central Interference
The Central government, however, swiftly denied any involvement in the suspension. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, clarified that the action was taken by Facebook (Meta) based on its own community guidelines.
Speaking to reporters, the minister stated, “The government has no role in this. There was an abusive post from his account, which is why Facebook blocked it as per its policies.”
Yadav Questions Flagging Reason
Following the restoration of the account on Saturday morning, Akhilesh Yadav confirmed the suspension and challenged the reason cited for the action. He said that he was informed the objection was classified as “Adult Sexual Exploitation and Violence.”
Yadav, however, clarified that the posts unofficially linked to the suspension were related to reporting the suspicious death of a woman in Ballia and the murder of a journalist. He claimed he was highlighting the pressure faced by journalists under the BJP government.
“What was wrong in that? We will continue our work on the ground and enlighten people. That’s where the real fight is,” Yadav asserted.
The account has since been fully restored. The SP chief marked the restoration by sharing a quote from socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary.