Congress Alleges Instagram Blocked Rahul Gandhi's Post Featuring Tamil Nadu CM Vijay

Congress alleged on Sunday that Instagram blocked a reel and photo post by Rahul Gandhi featuring newly sworn-in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, claiming the action was taken under rules enforced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The post, shared after Gandhi attended Vijay's oath-taking ceremony in Chennai, had garnered millions of views before reportedly being restricted.

A MeitY source驳ted the claim, stating the ministry had no role in the matter and that the restriction resulted from Instagram's internal system mistakenly flagging the content for blocking. The platform restored access to the posts shortly afterward, and images and videos of Gandhi and Vijay are now accessible on the platform.

Congress leader Srivatsa accused Meta of suppressing Gandhi's social media reach without providing reasons, alleging a pattern of curtailed visibility for the opposition leader. He claimed the post had reached 46 million people and the reel had received 12 million views before the restriction.

Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, leading a coalition government that includes Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML. Rahul Gandhi was present on stage during the ceremony and shared multiple posts from the event on his social media accounts.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology confirmed the issue was resolved and reiterated that it does not intervene in individual platform moderation decisions. Meta has not issued a public statement on the matter.