Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that Meta had restricted his Instagram account in India and claimed the social media company was acting under pressure from the Narendra Modi-led government to suppress voices critical of issues such as examination paper leaks and E20-blended petrol.
In a video posted on X, Kejriwal said he had received a notification that his Instagram account had been restricted in India. He claimed he had contacted Meta's India office and sent emails seeking clarification but had not been informed about the reason for the restriction or the process to restore the account.
According to Kejriwal, several other users who have criticised the central government have also experienced similar restrictions on their accounts. He did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
Calls for users to report restrictions
Kejriwal appealed to people who believe their Instagram accounts have also been restricted to contact him through direct messages or comments so that the issue could be raised collectively with Meta.
He alleged that Meta was suppressing content related to issues such as examination paper leaks and E20 fuel under pressure from the central government.
"If they can do this to me, I can only imagine what they must be doing to ordinary people," he said in the video.
Post directed at Meta
In a separate post on X, Kejriwal tagged Meta and Meta India, asking why his account had been restricted in India.
He said verbal enquiries at Meta's India office indicated that his account had been restricted in the country but that company representatives had not explained the reason or how the restriction could be removed. He added that emails sent to the company had received only routine acknowledgements.
Kejriwal further alleged that if such actions continued, "the Prime Minister will eventually allow Meta to platform only his own account in India."
Meta had not publicly responded to Kejriwal's allegations at the time of publication. The company has also not commented on his claim that his account had been restricted or on the allegation that it acted under government pressure.
