New Delhi: Under sharp attack, the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday said the Twitter account @PMOIndia has been “secured" by the microblogging company and will be handed over to the new dispensation which will take over next week.

It said all internet-based platforms and communications will continue to remain under the administrative control and management of the PMO after the change of the government.

The existing material on Manmohan Singh will be separately available under a new account on Twitter, said the PMO statement issued in the wake of a controversy triggered by its decision to close down the PMO account ahead of Narendra Modi taking over as the prime minister.

“The Twitter account @PMOIndia has been secured by Twitter and they are assisting in the handover of the same to this office to be available to the incoming PMO administration along with its followers," the PMO said.

“All PMO internet-based platforms and communications therein will continue to remain under the administrative control and management of the PMO after the change over of the government.

“The transfer of these digital assets to the incoming PMO administration has been arranged. The archiving process is underway so that all archived material can also be available to the public," it said.

The statement came a day after the PMO came under sharp attack from BJP over its decision to close down the official twitter handle.

BJP, whose government is set to assume office from next week, had termed the PMO’s move as “illegal and disgraceful". It said the original Twitter handle was a “national digital asset" and did not belong to Manmohan Singh. It should have been handed over to the new dispensation as it was, the party said.

Twitter India declined to react on the issue. “We don’t comment on individual accounts," its spokesperson said.

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