#BlockNarendraModi is trending on Twitter for all the right reasons

'PM following someone is not a character certificate of the person', head of ruling party


News Desk September 08, 2017
#BlockNarendraModihas been trending on Thursday after reports that Modi followed handles posting abusive content about slain journalist Gauri Lankesh PHOTO: TWITTER

A hashtag has been trending on Twitter called #BlockNarendraModi calling for users to block Indian PM Modi on the social media platform after news surfaced that he followed users who posted abusive content about journalist Gauri Lankesh who was murdered this week, reported Hindustan Times.

Indian journalist, activist Gauri Lankesh shot dead

Lankesh, 55, was a known critic of the right-wing Hindutva ideology, and was shot dead by unidentified attackers outside her house on Tuesday night. Her killing resulted in widespread anger and shock with protests erupting in many cities in India.

PHOTO: TWITTER PHOTO: TWITTER

Nikhil Dadhich, who calls himself a “Hindu Nationalist” is followed by Modi on Twitter, abused the slain Kannada journalist-activist and stated that she deserved to die. The tweet has now been deleted from his Twitter profile.

Fact-checking website Alt News reported about several other accounts, some of which were followed by the PM, labelling Lankesh a “Naxal sympathiser” and hurled abuse at her. Another user, Ashish Mehra, whose bio says he’s an ‘IIT Bombay, IIMP” pass out and a “political strategist” was also one who posted objectionable tweets over Lankesh’s killing, according to the report.

Prasad in a tweet condemned Gauri Lankesh’s murder and the vitriolic messages about her killing:





PM Modi has been criticised in the past too for following Twitter handles that give out rape threats, communal threats and encourage online hatred and harassment. While many supported the #BlockNarendraModi campaign calling for PM Modi to be blocked on Twitter, others refused to be a part of it, saying he was their “window to world tourism”.

Indian journalists, activists protest murder of Gauri Lankesh

PHOTO: TWITTER PHOTO: TWITTER

Amit Malviya, the ruling party’s national head for information and technology, issued a statement after criticism of his party and the PM. “PM following someone is not a character certificate of the person, and is not in any way a guarantee of how the person would conduct himself,” Malviya said, pointing out that Modi follows the Twitter handles of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as well.

COMMENTS (3)

John | 6 years ago | Reply waiting to see what PR spin does Modi apologists puts on this
Amit | 6 years ago | Reply Wonder nobody cares about tweet by diggy raja and nobody wants to block his account, waah what have they made india in last 70 years. These self proclaimed custodians of Secularism, freedom of expression and democracy themselves has hastened their demise.
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