Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) of putting political and administrative pressure on private companies to silence Opposition voices, as his social media (WhatsApp) account has been blocked and restricted.

He dubbed the move an “authoritarian trend” amid the upcoming election and aimed to cut off his communication with party workers and disrupted daily party work.

“For over a week, my official WhatsApp number/account has been restricted and blocked, preventing me from using it. This is a sign of the BJP government’s frustration, as I am continuously fighting for issues of common people under the able guidance of our leader, Rahul Ji. The government puts political and administrative pressure on private companies to target leaders like me. The ruling party aims to cut off my communication from the public, hundreds of people reach out to me on WhatsApp daily. Currently, I am unable to connect with them,” told Mr. Rai to .

Mr. Rai added that he will approach the judiciary if the restriction is not lifted.

“I have written to Meta, demanding the lifting of the restriction. I will approach the judiciary if the restriction is not lifted,” told the U.P. Congress chief.