A day after the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry listed out the blocked YouTube channels from India and Pakistan for “spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony and disturb public order in India”, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said on Tuesday that such actions will continue against those who spread misinformation and propaganda. He said the government respects the freedom of speech, but “strongest action will be taken as per law” against “those who become a threat to the country’s sovereignty and integrity”. “Within or outside the country, those trying to spread this kind of propaganda, fake news, myths and fear, strict action will be taken in future, too. We cannot compromise on country’s security,” he said. “We are not against the use of digital media for taking the right information to the people. We welcome that. Fake news also impacts the mainstream media.it is hard for a common person to differentiate between right and wrong.” Talking to journalists on the sidelines of an event in Delhi, when asked about the use of loudspeakers at places of worship, Thakur said “rules and regulations should be the same for all”. He attacked the Congress leadership over “breakdown of law and order” in Rajasthan, especially with regard to crimes against women. “I wonder if Priyanka (Gandhi) and Sonia (Gandhi) are in the country or not these days. In Rajasthan, shameful incidents take place every day. Rape and torture against women and girls, they are thrown into wells.the culprits are not caught for days. I hope they will take these things seriously and the Rajasthan government, which is fast asleep, will wake up,” the minister said.
