Shashi Tharoor alleged that the decision on amending IT rules would give the government the power to determine what constitutes fake news.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at a party event targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recently amended IT rules, alleging that the government has given itself the right to determine what constitutes fake news. Tharoor's criticism was directed towards the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeITy) for adding a clause to the contentious IT rules, 2021. The new clause requires social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to prevent floating content that has not been “fact-checked” by an approved body.