ModiSarkar Twitter Games

For the second time in the last few years representatives of Twitter appeared before a Parliamentary Committee in India. To a question asked to them on whether they follow the laws of the land, they replied with “We follow our own polices”. That is not an answer to the question at all but it is as comic as it can get with our Parliamentary buffoons who really don’t know what they are questioning Twitter for and what consequence they threaten. ANI reports the Committee gave a “tough message” to Twitter stating they must abide by Indian laws or face fines. I’m sure the Twitter guys are shaking at the knees. In yet more comic idiocy, Modi’s bootlickers at Timesnow ask “Is the Lobby backing Twitter’s defiance”? I wonder who runs this country, the “Lobby” or the GOI.

All of this has come about from some new rules notified by GOI for all tech companies and platforms in February 2021. Twitter had not communicated its agreement to it or did not comply with it. Facebook has gone to court over related issues. But the current battle by GOI against Twitter escalated when the platform marked a tweet by Sambit Patra as “Manipulated media”. The tweet related to a Congress “Toolkit” that sought to sabotage India’s fight against Covid and vaccination plans. There isn’t any doubt that Twitter is a Leftist platform, as most tech companies and platforms are and is prejudiced against the ModiSarkar and most of its actions are biased and arbitrary in favour of Commies and Fiberals.

In the US they suspended Trump’s account. In Nigeria they suspended the President’s account but Nigeria became the first country to shut down Twitter after the action. ModiSarkar is a brainless, gutless comic circus with no head or tail. When the stand-off started with Twitter, the first stupid thing they did was send two teams of Delhi police on raids at Twitter offices in Delhi and Gurugram. This comedy happened late evening on May 24:

The cops landed up during the lockdowns and when personnel were working from home. Naturally, Twitter offices were closed and they found no one to talk to. The Delhi Police later clarified that they had gone just to deliver a notice to their MD. Really? That is even more stupid. You send two teams of 6-8 people to two separate offices just to deliver a notice to a company? Never mind! Nothing came out of that. So, the Minister for IT, RS Prasad started writing love-letters to Twitter. Prasad explained the situation, their prejudiced actions, non-compliance and possible consequences. Why a minister has to do all this for a tiny company is strange but it’s also hilarious:

All of this naturally leads us to a simple question – Why is the GOI unwilling to act against Twitter? Of all the tech companies around, Twitter is probably the smallest one. Although their revenues reported a growth to $1 Bn in the first quarter this year worldwide, they are too small by comparison to giants like Apple, Google or Microsoft or even Facebook. The number of people Twitter employees is also very small so it’s not as if a huge number would be laid off if Twitter is shut down. Most of their employees act as “Watchdogs” for abuse and few as political liaison personnel.

There could be many answers for no action against Twitter but the most important one simply is that the ModiSarkar does not have the spine for a confrontation with anyone. Whether it is Shaheen Bagh or fake farmers (who have now graduated to rapes and murders), allowing attacks on Red Fort and the most gruesome being the continued murders of Hindus in Bengal for years. Post elections, the murders in Bengal have become even worse. Law enforcement has truly gone to the dogs in India. Even Modi’s most ardent supporters now realise he’s a man without a stomach for action and confrontation against crimes. There is a marked lack of leadership in the GOI:

Secondly, PM Modi is perhaps the most “Image-conscious” politician in the world right now. And he has been image-conscious for many years and goes many lengths for the extra lipstick and photo op. Crazy pictures with peacocks, ducks, parrots or doing things that nobody wants to see a PM doing have become the hallmarks of the man. Twitter is the only gateway that keeps Modi open to the world outside to be seen and read by other leaders as well as ordinary folks. Modi would want Bill Gates to read his tweets as much as he would want Joe Biden or public around the world to read his tweets. This obsession with self-image and a need to be present everywhere makes it impossible to confront Twitter. This has been so extreme, that while many of his ministers have opened accounts on the Indian app Koo, Modi himself has so far refused to do so. All that Atmanirbhar nonsense goes down the drain when it comes to his personal choices.

And his silly bootlickers in the media ask why the so-called “Lobby” is not commenting or if it is backing Twitter’s defiance. As if this silly lobby is to enforce laws in India. After Twitter failed to communicate its agreement to comply with the additional Indian laws, the media houses started jumping around screaming “Twitter loses legal shield, Twitter loses intermediary status” as if the bird of Twitter has lost its wings and cannot fly or sing anymore. Other than jingoistic chest-thumping nothing has really happened and if anything did happen it has been downright comic and hilarious as the police raid or RS Prasad writing letters to Twitter. All this is nothing but a long exercise in distraction of Indians from many other grave issues facing the country. Keep them focused on Twitter-battles while many other crimes and problems are shoved under the carpet:

If you Google for the number of Twitter users from every country, India is the highest with 18 million. That is easily a very low number for a country with a population of 1.38 billion. However, Twitter users are mostly educated ones, professionals from various domains, media houses and personnel, politicians, top businessmen and many supporters of every political party. Thus, it becomes a useful tool for instant propaganda for the ruling party. Their opponents too have that benefit but a ruling party always has the advantage. The supporters of BJP fear Twitter may do to Modi in 2024 what it did to Trump in 2020-21 but that is a baseless fear. Modi tweets nothing but propaganda stuff and anniversaries and nothing more. Most importantly, Twitter also knows our judiciary system quite well and also knows Modi has no spine for a confrontation:

It is also a time when some important elections are not very far off. Along with four other states, UP goes to polls in February-March 2022, so too Uttarakhand and Himachal where BJP is the ruling party. Nothing cheers up Modi like a great election campaign. He is most at home campaigning and giving speeches for votes. Given that is upcoming, it hardly likely that there will be any action against Twitter, at least not in the next one year as it is also an important election tool for the BJP. All its Pundits, Astrologers, Popat-readers, Tantrik-Boothers; all of them do electioneering on Twitter. You may wonder how can a small population of people on Twitter can matter so much – well, that small population is hoped to transmit and multiply the message to the ground and the frontline worker. The long and short of it, all this nonsense with Twitter is nothing but a smoke-screen to keep people occupied with nonsensical theatre and not think of more serious problems.

 

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