Dorsey attempting to cover up past misdeeds, ‘Twitter files’ had exposed misuse of platform: Anurag Thakur

PTI, Jun 13, 2023, 5:55 PM IST

The ”false” allegations made by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey were an attempt to cover up past misdeeds and Twitter’s internal communications had exposed that the platform was ”misused and there was bias and tinkering”, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said here on Tuesday.

Thakur said many ”foreign forces” get active at the time of elections to vitiate the democratic process and build tension, but such attempts have failed in the past and would not succeed in the future also.

”Such elements within the country and abroad will never be able to destabilise the nation which is being led by a strong leader,” the minister told reporters here.

Dorsey, who quit as Twitter CEO in 2021, claimed in an interview Indian government ”pressured” the company with threats of a shutdown and raids on employees if it did not comply with requests to take down posts and restrict accounts, a charge rubbished by the government.

”Jack Dorsey has woken up after deep slumber and is making allegations to cover up his black deeds,” Thakur said.

The allegations made by the former owner of Twitter ”are false and an attempt to cover up the past misdeeds and the Twitter files have exposed that this platform was misused and there was bias and tinkering”, the minister alleged.

After taking over Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk had in December last year released ‘Twitter files’ – controversial internal communications under the previous leadership on how it handled matters related to suspension and banning of accounts.

Thakur said the government will ensure that provisions of Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution are not violated, stressing that the law treats everyone as equal.

Referring to the stir by wrestlers, Thakur said that he had talks with three wrestlers and, on their demand, an ad hoc committee was constituted to carry out the day-to-day activities of the wrestling federation.

He said that the ”trials were conducted in record time and our wrestlers are performing well”.

The police are conducting the probe in a transparent manner and the charge sheet will be filed soon, he said.

To a query on the cut in borrowing limit of the Himachal government, the minister said that the limit was increased from 3 to 3.3 per cent during the Covid pandemic. He said FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) is applicable to all states and it was obligatory to reduce the borrowing to permissible limits.