A political controversy erupted after the Congress alleged that Instagram temporarily blocked a viral social media post featuring Rahul Gandhi and newly sworn-in C. Joseph Vijay during the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s oath-taking ceremony in Chennai.
The Congress claimed the viral reel and photo post shared by Rahul Gandhi were restricted due to rules linked to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). However, government sources strongly denied the allegation, stating that the issue was caused by Instagram’s internal moderation system and not by any government directive.
Rahul Gandhi had travelled to Chennai on Sunday to attend Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony as Tamil Nadu chief minister. Soon after the event, he shared photos and reels from the ceremony on social media platforms, including Instagram. The content quickly gained massive traction online, with Congress leaders claiming that one of the reels crossed nearly 12 million views within an hour, while a photo post reportedly reached over 46 million users.
Congress leader Srivatsa alleged on social media platform X that Instagram had suddenly blocked access to Rahul Gandhi’s posts featuring Vijay. He further claimed that the issue reflected broader suppression of the opposition leader’s digital reach across social media platforms.
According to the Congress leader, the viral content was restricted without any clear explanation from Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. He also alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s visibility on platforms such as X, YouTube and Instagram had been affected for a long time.
However, sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology rejected the accusations and clarified that the ministry had no involvement in restricting the posts. Officials said Instagram’s own automated system had mistakenly flagged the content, which was later restored.
The controversy comes at a time when political parties are increasingly relying on social media platforms for digital campaigning, public outreach and youth engagement. The viral interaction between Rahul Gandhi and Vijay also drew significant attention because it highlighted the growing political importance of the actor-turned-politician after his recent rise in Tamil Nadu politics.
The issue has once again triggered debate around algorithm transparency, content moderation and the role of technology platforms in shaping political communication in India.
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