Government’s stand
THE ROW
l The govt has rebuked Twitter after the US social media giant refused to fully comply with an order to take down over 1,300 accounts and posts, which New Delhi says spread misinformation about the farmers’ agitation. l Twitter said it had not blocked all content because the directives were not consistent with Indian law.
GOVT TO AMEND LAW
Officials have said the govt is in the process of amending rules under the IT Act, 2000, so that social media companies take “more responsibility”.
EXPERT VIEW
Experts said the row between Twitter and the govt is more a question of rule of law than a free speech issue.
“There is no option for a company, either under the law or under the rules, to not comply with the order,” said NS Nappinai, Supreme Court advocate and founder of Cyber Saathi.
“We respect social media. We also respect criticism. But we will not tolerate the misuse of social media for fake news. Today, from here in Parliament, I politely remind the companies, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or WhatsApp or anyone, they are free to work in India, do business, but they need to respect the Indian Constitution, they need to respect the Indian law.” —RS PRASAD, Union IT minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the course of his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, mounted a robust defence of the role of the private sector — and by extension, Indian capitalism — in nation-building. This is an ideological battle that India should have decisively resolved back in 1991 with liberalisation and loosening of controls. But the historical legacy of suspicion towards the private sector, the evolution of Indian capitalism since 1991, and entirely antiquated ideological positions that prioritise State-led distribution without thought to the processes of wealth creation has meant that, unfortunately, business and profit remain dirty words in the Indian political lexicon.
PM Modi made a set of points. If wealth creators are not encouraged, how will jobs be generated and how will the process of wealth distribution take place? Aren’t private individuals citizens who must be trusted? Will the entire country run on the whims and diktats of the Indian Administrative Service “babus”? This political ownership of capitalism and the private sector is significant, for there is no other way for India to become more prosperous.
For this defence of capitalism to percolate down, two things need to happen. One, pro-business policies must not be seen as policies in favour of select business houses. The emergence of what are akin to monopolies in key sectors has deepened distrust of the market. Indian capitalism will be more credible if it is not associated only with a small set of “national champions”. Two, the resistance to capitalism will diminish if it is seen as leading to both growth and equity. PM Modi has been intellectually honest and shown political courage. The Opposition, particularly the Congress, which launched the reforms, must show the same courage in recognising, rather than demonising, the private sector.