"Bending over backwards..." Congress attacks centre over MeitY's clarification on X

A day after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) clarified that they have not sent any notice to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and its Artificial Intelligence vertical Grok over the chatbot purportedly using Hindi slang, Congress leader Manish Tewari attacked the union government, claiming that they are "bending over backwards to kow tow" to United States President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

"With Govt bending over backwards to kow tow to @realDonaldTrump through @elonmusk-doubt they have the gumption to issue @X a notice over the delightfully mischievous @grok. Aint upsetting @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk over Mr. @grok having some fun," read the post from Tewari.

On Thursday, sources from MeitY said that they have not sent any notice to X or Grok, and is in talks with the platforms to understand what law it is violating.


Previous advisories sent to the social media by MeiTY are still valid, sources added.

"Meity has not sent any notice to Grok or X. Meity is in talks with X and Grok to understand what law it is violating," a source said.

Media reports, citing sources, had earlier said that the IT Ministry is in touch with X over Grok and using Hindi slang in response to questions and comments.

Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI helps to answer user's questions and provide helpful insights, often with a dash of outside perspective on humanity, according to Grok. As per the chatbot its goal is to assist users.

The government had urged social media intermediaries to act quickly against fake content to build public trust in grievance officers. It was also emphasized that GACs must work efficiently to resolve issues promptly, ensuring users can navigate the internet safely and with confidence.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in January this year, organized a workshop on the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) to address stakeholder concerns regarding a safer internet. The event brought together GAC members, social media intermediaries, and senior government officials to discuss strengthening the grievance redressal framework under the Information Technology Act, 2000.