INC Pans Twitter As Rahul Gandhi’s Follower Count Races To 20M After Formal Complaint

The Indian National Congress (INC) has accused Twitter of succumbing to external pressure. As per India’s largest opposition party, this claim is backed by the sudden increase in party leader Rahul Gandhi’s follower count, post his letter to Twitter CEO.

In a recent tweet, INC revealed that Gandhi’s followers on Twitter finally crossed the 20 million mark after stalling at 19.6 million for several months. It also said that the unexplained spike, which came soon after the politician reached out to Twitter formally, is a sign. The party expressed its firm belief about an “external influence” conspiring for Gandhi’s recent follower count freeze.

Congress is implying that the American firm faces manipulation by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Additionally, INC’s official Twitter rounded up the statement with a self-explanatory hashtag “#TwitterIsExposed.”

Back in December 2021, INC leader Rahul Gandhi noted how his Twitter follower count had stagnated for several months. He mentioned this had been the trend ever since his 8-day account suspension ended earlier in August. Moreover, he wrote to Twitter CEO Parag Aggarwal saying his company was complicit in “curbing free and fair speech in India.”

As per the Wall Street Journal, Gandhi’s follower count started experiencing a surge in followers right after his complaint. Back then, a Twitter spokesperson had avoided commenting on the matter specifically. However, she underlined fluctuation in follower count often happens due to the removal of spam accounts from the platform.

Did the Indian government put pressure on Twitter to scupper its opposition party leader’s social media growth? Ring in your thoughts in the comments below.