Indian YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has urged supporters to widely share a viral satirical reel blocked in India, accusing the Modi government of misusing the IT Act.
In his clip, Rathee said the reel had received 16 million views before it was blocked in India.
“There were 16 million views on this reel. But the Modi government misused the IT Act and blocked it in India. This is the state of freedom of speech in the country today,” he said.
Rathee claimed that praise for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was rewarded, while criticism of him, even through comedy, was not tolerated on social media.
“If you praise Modi, he will make your films run on big screens. But if you show the reality of Modi, even through comedy, he won’t even let your videos be on social media,” Rathee said.
He said the public had the power to respond and that he would upload the reel again.
“But you know what? These people don’t realise how powerful the public is. Let’s make them realise. I will upload this reel again. And this time, share it so much that it crosses 30 million views,” Rathee said.
He also urged viewers to download the reel and circulate it “everywhere on WhatsApp”, adding: “Next time, think twice before doing something like this”.
The blocked reel featured a satirical exchange involving “Mr Modi” and a foreign dignitary, with references to global crises, including the Ukraine-Russia war and the US-Iran conflict.
