Samajwadi Party (SP) President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s official Facebook account, which was abruptly suspended on Friday evening, has been reactivated, triggering political uproar and strong condemnation from party leaders. The verified account, followed by over 8 million people, was suddenly deactivated around 6 pm on Friday, sources said.
According to government sources, the account was blocked by Facebook for allegedly sharing an inappropriate post. The page, which regularly features Akhilesh Yadav’s political statements, criticisms of government policies, and campaign-related content, became inaccessible without prior warning.
In response, the SP’s IT team immediately contacted Meta through official channels and reached out to the Facebook India team to report the issue. The account was restored by Saturday morning, with all previous posts, images, and videos once again visible to the public.
While Meta has yet to provide an explanation for the temporary suspension, Samajwadi Party leaders have termed the incident a political conspiracy.
Ghosi MP Rajiv Rai expressed outrage on X, stating, “Blocking the account of the leader of the third largest party in the country’s parliament, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav ji, by Facebook is not only condemnable but also a blow to India’s democratic system. If this has been done at the behest of the ruling party, it is a sign of cowardice. Trying to suppress the voice of socialists is a mistake.”
SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chaand echoed similar concerns, calling the move an “attack on democracy.” He wrote, “The BJP government has imposed an undeclared emergency, where every opposing voice is being suppressed. But the Samajwadi Party will continue to oppose the BJP’s anti-people policies.”
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while speaking to reporters, confirmed that the government has no role in Akhilesh Yadav’s Facebook account suspension. “The action has been taken by Facebook. The government has no role in it. An abusive post was made from his account, because of which Facebook has taken this decision according to its own policies,” he said.
