NEW DELHI: The ministry of electronics and information technology on Monday refuted Congress’ claim that Instagram “blocked” Rahul Gandhi’s reel and photo with newly appointed Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay, alleging that the ministry was actively restricting the voices of opposition leaders in the country.Sources told news agency ANI that the ministry had nothing to do with the action and that the platform’s internal system had mistakenly flagged the post for blocking.“It has been wrongly claimed by certain social media handles that certain posts of the LoP were restricted by MeitY. It is clarified that MeitY had nothing to do with this action; it was because of the platform’s own internal system mistakenly flagging the posts for blocking, which have now been restored on the platform,” the sources said.This came after former Youth Congress national campaign head Srivatsa claimed that the reel had garnered 12 million views in less than an hour, while the viral photo post had reached 46 million people.“Instagram has blocked LoP Rahul Gandhi’s reel and picture post featuring him and Thalapathy Vijay at today’s swearing-in ceremony. The viral reel had gathered 12 million views in less than an hour and the viral picture post had already reached 46 million people,” Srivatsa said.“Meta cites no reason as to why his account has become inaccessible. The ‘glitch’ is because of MeitY rules. Rahul Gandhi’s social media accounts have been suppressed for a long time. His X reach, YouTube views and Instagram followers have all been suppressed. This is how opposition leaders’ voices are curtailed in India,” he added.This came as Vijay on Sunday took oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister. Rahul also attended the ceremony and later shared several pictures with the actor-politician on social media.Congress, with five MLAs, supported Vijay’s TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu assembly polls.Earlier, Tamil Nadu witnessed one of the most dramatic political transitions in its modern history as actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay took oath as the 13th chief minister of the state, ending the decades-long political dominance of the DMK and AIADMK and ushering in what he called “a new era of real, secular and social justice.”As thousands of supporters erupted in cheers, Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and his cabinet colleagues.In his emotional first speech as chief minister, Vijay repeatedly highlighted his humble background and rejected any larger-than-life political image around him. “My dear people, my own family… I am not some divine messenger or prophet. I am just an ordinary human being living a normal life. I will never deceive you with false promises. I will only promise what is possible,” he said to deafening applause.Thanking young voters and children who passionately campaigned for him, Vijay made a special mention of his Gen Z supporters, saying, “A special word of thanks to the little friends who call me ‘Vijay Mama.’ It is because of them that all of this has happened. I will repay my debt of gratitude to you by working for your future. Stay confident — this Vijay Mama will always be there for you.”The line immediately became one of the biggest highlights of the ceremony online.Calling his victory “a new beginning,” the TVK founder declared, “Come, let all of us together give Tamil Nadu a fresh new government. This is the start of a new era of real, secular and social justice.”
