The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) blocked its attempt to send SMS messages containing a link to a documentary on alleged fraud in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, terming the rejection as censorship.
Congress leaders claimed that their application to send the link of the YouTube documentary, “How the MH 2024 Election Was Stolen”, to party cadre in Maharashtra was rejected by TRAI on the grounds that the content was “related to protest.”
Praveen Chakravarty, chairman of the Congress’ data analytics department, said this amounted to a coordinated attempt by government institutions to suppress information. “How is there such perfect synchronisation between the Home Ministry, Election Commission, and Telecom regulator to suppress? Does one need more telltale signs of guilt of Maharashtra election fraud than such coordinated moves?” he asked on X. He also shared a screenshot of the rejection message from authorities.
Tagging Chakravarty’s post, Congress whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore called the development “ridiculous” and questioned the role of the Home Ministry, Telecom Ministry, and Election Commission. “One coordinated machine to hide the truth of Maharashtra 2024 fraud. Amit bhai, if Maharashtra elections weren’t stolen, why are you so scared of a YouTube link?” he wrote on X, further accusing the government of censorship and surveillance.
TRAI has not issued any response to the allegations.
