The Congress party claimed that Instagram had “blocked” a reel and photo post shared by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, which featured him with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, citing a violation of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Gandhi uploaded a screenshot of the blocked reel to his Instagram account and wrote, “What exactly is so threatening about it? Why was this reel with Thiru Vijay and me blocked under India’s IT rules?”

He then went on to add, “First they blocked the reel, then they pulled down even the story asking why it was blocked”.

The Centre, however, denied the allegation and attributed the issue to a technical error on the platform’s end.

ALSO READ

‘The glitch is because of MEITY rules,’ claims Congress

Gandhi had travelled to Chennai on Sunday to attend Vijay’s oath-taking ceremony as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, with Congress having backed TVK to form the government in the state. After the event, the Congress leader posted multiple photographs and a reel showcasing moments from the ceremony on his social media accounts.

Congress leader and Gandhi’s aide Srivatsa claimed in a post on X that Instagram had “blocked” Gandhi’s reel and photo post featuring him and Vijay from the swearing-in ceremony.

“Meta cites no reason as to why his account has become inaccessible. The ‘glitch’ is because of MEITY rules! Rahul Gandhi’s social media accounts have been suppressed for a long time. His X reach, YouTube views, and Insta followers have all been suppressed,” Srivatsa said on X.

Reacting to this, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) denied any involvement in the blocking of Rahul Gandhi’s Instagram posts, clarifying that MeitY had nothing to do with the action taken by the social media platform.

ALSO READ

Problem with Meta?

News agency ANI reported that sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) clarified the blocking of the posts was caused by Instagram’s own internal content moderation system, which had mistakenly flagged Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s content. The ministry stated it had no role in the action, and the posts have since been restored on the platform.

According to these sources, claims suggesting that MeitY had ordered the restriction of the LoP’s posts were incorrect. The action was triggered solely by the platform’s automated system, and the content has now been made available again.

On Sunday, Tamil Nadu witnessed one of the most dramatic political transitions in its modern history as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief C Joseph Vijay took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of the state, ending the decades-long political dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

As thousands of supporters erupted in cheers, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and his cabinet colleagues. In his emotional first speech as Chief Minister, Vijay repeatedly highlighted his humble background and rejected any larger-than-life political image around him.

“My dear people, my own family… I am not some divine messenger or prophet. I am just an ordinary human being living a normal life. I will never deceive you with false promises. I will only promise what is possible,” he said to deafening applause.

Thanking young voters who passionately campaigned for him, Vijay made a special mention of his Gen Z supporters, saying, “A special word of thanks to the little friends who call me ‘Vijay Mama.’ It is because of them that all of this has happened. I will repay my debt of gratitude to you by working for your future. Stay confident — this Vijay Mama will always be there for you.”