'Facebook ban makes no sense, not active since April 2019': BJP's Raja Singh Lodh

Telangana BJP leader T Raja Singh Lodh, who made headlines due to a foreign media post alleging Facebook’s link with the political party, on Thursday said that banning him on Facebook “makes no sense” and stated that he has not been using the social media platform since April 2019.

While thanking Facebook for taking down several accounts operated in his name, Singh said that he wants to open a fresh account, which he would use in accordance with its policies. At the same time, he requested Facebook to examine the accounts of the leaders of AIMIM and Congress parties and act accordingly by banning them or deleting their content.

The two-time MLA from Goshamahal constituency in old Hyderabad is known for making assertions that ‘target’ a minority community. His alleged statements on Facebook including those against the Rohingya Muslims had caught international attention.

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Raja Singh Lodh banned on Facebook, Instagram

Raja Singh Lodh was recently mentioned in a Wall Street Journal report on Facebook’s alleged favouritism towards the ruling BJP at the Centre and that the company’s executive was reluctant to act against such content and politicians.

On Thursday, Facebook banned Singh from the popular site and also from Instagram, reportedly for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate.

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"We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform, a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The statement further added that the process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to Facebook's decision to remove his account.

For the past several days, the Congress and the BJP have engaged in a heated exchange of allegations over the content promoted on Facebook and accused the company and its employees of political biases. India is a crucial market for the Mark Zuckerberg-led company with over 300 million users across the country.

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