The BJP’s Information Technology cell chief Amit Malaviya on Thursday sprang to the defence of Narendra Modi in the wake of a controversy revolving around whether the Prime Minister on Twitter followed individuals who trolled or abused people on the social media.
Asserting that Mr. Modi was the only leader who freely interacted with people on the social media, he said the Prime Minister following people was not a character certificate for them.
News reports said Mr. Modi followed on Twitter a person called Nikhil Dadhich, who used abusive words in a tweet while referring to veteran journalist Gauri Lankesh who was shot dead on Wednesday.
The hashtag #BlockNarendraModi trended on Twitter, with many people tweeting that they had blocked the Prime Minister for following persons like Mr. Dadhich.
“The controversy over Prime Minister following people on Twitter is mischievous and contorted. PM Modi is the only leader who freely engages with people on social media platforms. He follows normal people and frequently interacts with them on various issues,” Mr. Malaviya tweeted. “He is a rare leader who truly believes in freedom of speech and has never blocked or unfollowed anyone on twitter.
“We have multiple examples of leaders curbing free speech on the social media, including the previous PMO handle.”
The Prime Minister following someone was not in any way a guarantee of how the person would conduct himself. Mr. Modi also followed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said.
