PM Narendra Modi following someone on Twitter not a character certificate: BJP

NEW DELHI: By following one on Twitter Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not vouching for one’s character, BJP’s national head of information and technology, Amit Malviya, has said in a statement, following reports that highlighted the PM was following certain trolls.

“PM following someone is not a character certificate of a person and is not in any way a guarantee of how a person would conduct himself. PM is the only leader who freely engages with people on social media platforms. He follows normal people and frequently interacts with them on various issues,” Malviya’s statement read.

Referring to reports that the PM’s personal Twitter handle followed people who resorted to ‘celebrating the killing’ of journalist Gauri Lankesh, Malviya said the row was “mischievous and contorted.” The debate was “farcical and fake, and “an exhibit of selective right to freedom of expression” as leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal are never questioned for ‘abuse’ by their supporters.

“PM is a rare leader who truly believes in the freedom of speech and has never blocked or un-followed anyone on Twitter. We have multiple examples of leaders curbing free speech on social media, including the previous PMO handle,” the statement claimed and added that the PM follows Rahul and Kejriwal despite the former being “accused in loot and fraud” and the latter “abusing him on Twitter.” Malviya said PM also continues to follow a former BJP volunteer Parthesh Patel who joined Congress “and abused PM in the worst possible language.”