In a swift move, the Government of India has blocked the X (formerly Twitter) account of Austrian economist Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn after he posted a controversial message calling to “dismantle India,” accompanied by a map of Khalistan.
Fehlinger-Jahn wrote: “I call to dismantle India into ExIndia. @narendramodi is Russia’s man. We need friends of freedom for @KhalistanNet.” (sic)
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology flagged the viral post and directed X to withhold access to the account for Indian users. The account has since been disabled in India.
Fehlinger-Jahn serves as President of the Austrian Committee for NATO Membership of Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Austria. He also sits on the board of the Action Group for Regional Economic Integration of the Southern Balkans.
When asked if the Ministry of External Affairs would raise the matter with the Austrian government in Vienna, a senior MEA source dismissed the idea, saying, “Why give this so much attention? He is a loony. Holds no official position.”
Fehlinger-Jahn’s X post had led to angry reactions on social media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in July 2024, was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Austria in 41 years. The historic visit had coincided with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Austria.
