Munsif Vengattil, Krishna N. Das

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India reiterates its stand on social media accountability following Elon Musk’s pending takeover Twitter (NYSE:). The country insists that platforms have to monitor content and users.

When Rajeev Chaudrasekhar was asked if he had accepted the promise of the tycoon to protect free speech online, he said that a change in ownership wouldn’t make any difference.

He said, “Our safety expectations and trust requirements in law and regulations require all intermediaries must do due diligence concerning its users’ content in order to qualify for intermediary status.”

A spokesperson from Twitter declined comment.

Indian officials stated that last year, social media platforms could no longer claim liability exemptions for intermediaries and hosts of user-generated content.

Laws that went into effect in 2013 make it easier for social media platforms to respond to users’ requests to have posts removed quickly. They also require the posting companies to disclose details about who sent them. They must also provide mechanisms to address grievances.

Musk and Twitter agreed Monday to purchase Twitter for $44 Billion

Declaring himself to be a freedom-of-speech absoluteist, he criticised Twitter’s content moderation system and called for the defeat of spam bots that bombard users with unwanted tweets. Indian politicians are often accused of using bots to influence public opinion.

Many ministers of the Indian government moved last year to Koo, a domestically-developed platform. They were unhappy with Twitter’s non-compliance regarding local laws.

When Twitter refused to remove accounts that were accused of misinformation regarding anti-government demonstrations from farmers, tensions first flared in the beginning of last year.

In India, where market research firms claim there are 23 million users, the U.S. firm has been subject to police investigation. Only Japan and the United States have larger markets.

Twitter had several run-ins against Prime Minister NarendraModi’s Nationalist Government, but Musk’s Tesla Inc (NASDAQ) Inc struggles to get New Delhi on board for its demand for lower import tariffs.

The Swadeshi Jagaran Mandach is an Indian nationalist group advocating for local business, and it has some resistance to Modi’s government. Ashwani Mahajan, its co-convener, told Reuters that the group was against Tesla receiving tariff reductions.

We want to support our domestic industry. Mahajan stated that the automobile industry is now competitive and doing well.

India’s Transport Minister said Tuesday that Tesla is welcome to open a shop here, but “making and selling in China is not a good idea”.

Tesla didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.