TRAI blocked SMS linking to Maha ‘poll fraud’ documentary: Congress

The Congress on Sunday, 7 September, alleged that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) rejected its application to send SMSes to its Maharashtra cadre containing a link to a documentary alleging that the Maharashtra assembly elections were “stolen”, citing the content as “related to protest.”

Congress claimed the move reflects “telltale signs of guilt” regarding alleged election fraud and suggested that multiple government bodies were acting in coordination to suppress information. TRAI has not responded to the party’s claims.

Praveen Chakravarty, chairman of Congress’ data analytics department, said the party had filed the application to share the YouTube documentary “How the MH 2024 election was stolen.” According to him, TRAI’s rejection labeled the content as “protest-related.”

“How is there such perfect coordination between the Home ministry, Election Commission, and Telecom regulator to suppress information?” Chakravarty asked on X, sharing a screenshot of TRAI’s rejection.

Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, echoed the concerns, calling the decision “ridiculous.” He accused the Home ministry, railways, and telecom ministry of blocking communication while the Election Commission remained a “silent spectator”. Tagore questioned, “If Maharashtra elections weren’t stolen, why block a YouTube link?”

He added, “Suppressing SMSes won’t suppress the truth. Blocking Congress workers won’t block democracy. The more you censor, the louder the questions: what exactly are you hiding about the Maharashtra 2024 elections?”

With PTI inputs