“If You Call Day As Night...”: Priyanka Gandhi On UP Digital Media Policy

As per the controversial digital policy of the UP government, any "obscene," "objectionable,” and “anti-national” content could land them in jail for three years or even life imprisonment.

Uttar Pradesh Digital Media policy Edited by
“If You Call Day As Night...”: Priyanka Gandhi On UP Digital Media Policy

“If You Call Day As Night...”: Priyanka Gandhi On UP Digital Media Policy

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi mocked the Uttar Pradesh government’s new digital media policy which has received much criticism from the opposition. Gandhi fired a series of questions at the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led state government’s policy which aims to offer financial aid to influencers for promoting government schemes on social media.

Taking to X, the Congress leader mocked the policy and stated, “We will say what you like. If you call day as night, it will be night.” Attacking the state government, Gandhi raised a series of questions wherein she asked, “In which category will the voices of women seeking justice fall in the social media policy of the Uttar Pradesh government?”

Read Also: UP Digital Media Policy 2024: Rs 8 Lakh For Promoting Schemes, Jail For Objectionable Content

The bodies of two Dalit girls, aged 15 and 18, were found hanging from a tree in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district on Tuesday morning. While the police claimed it was a case of suicide, the families of the deceased demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They further questioned the police on the wounds on the bodies, and the police asked them to cremate the dead as soon as possible. The shocking case has triggered reactions from the opposition, demanding an investigation probe.

“In which category will the questions raised in the 69000 teacher recruitment reservation scam fall?” she asked, referring to the BJP-ruled state government’s alleged reservation scam that surfaced in the Uttar Pradesh Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination (ATRE) held in 2019.

“In which category would exposing the BJP government by BJP leaders and MLAs fall?” asked the Congress leader.

Gandhi further asked, “The policy of ‘if you call day as night, then it is night or else jail’ is another way of suppressing the truth. Can the BJP not think of anything more than crushing democracy and the Constitution?”

As per the controversial digital policy of the UP government, any “obscene,” “objectionable,” and “anti-national” content could land them in jail for three years or even life imprisonment. Notably, the definition of what falls under these has not been specified as of yet. The policy aims to promote the government schemes and projects, which would be rewarded with amounts up to Rs 8 lakh.

Read Also: “What About The Wounds?” Man Questions Police Push For Cremation After Daughter Found Hanging In UP

The circulating document states that for X, Instagram, and Facebook, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. For YouTube, the amount for videos, shorts, and podcasts is set at Rs 8 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, Rs 6 lakh, and Rs 4 lakh, respectively.

Many criticised the scheme for being financially beneficial to IT cells, pro-establishment news reporters/anchors using taxpayers’ money in exchange for promoting the government’s policies and works.