Continuing the tussle between BJP MPs and the Parliamentary IT panel chief, lawmaker Nishikant Dubey has shot off another letter. This time he has written to Shashi Tharoor, reminding him of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s request to not take up any subject for discussion that is pending before a court.
Tharoor had called the committee meeting to discuss unavailability of 4G internet in Jammu and Kashmir.
Expressing his discontentment, Dubey wrote, “I may like to bring to your kind notice that recently, your goodself has convened yet another sitting of the Committee on 1 September 2020 to discuss the issue of 4G services in Jammu & Kashmir. Since this issue is presently pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, any further deliberations on this would again be a violation of the relevant Rules/ Directions as well as disregarding the recently issued advisory of the Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha.”
The letter accessed by CNN-News18 further reads, “I, therefore, appeal to your goodself that the sitting of the Committee on Information Technology convened for the aforementioned purpose may be immediately revoked. I also request you to consider not taking up those issues for deliberation in our Committee which are of ‘National Importance’ as otherwise, we would again be showing discourtesy to the desire of our Hon’ble Speaker that we all continue to work towards strengthening the Parliament of India and Indian democracy through our endeavour and thereby enhancing the glory and prestige of our Parliament.”
Birla had sent a letter to Parliamentary Committees on Tuesday, asking them to follow Direction 55 of ‘Directions by the Speaker’ to ensure at all their briefings and reports are kept confidential and no information is leaked to the media.
The speaker also quoted Rule 270, which was also used by Dubey in the letter to Tharoor. According to the rule, “a Committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records: Provided that if any question arises whether the evidence of a person or the production of a document is relevant for the purposes of the Committee, the question shall be referred to the Speaker whose decision shall be final: Provided further that Government may decline to produce a document on the ground that its disclosure would be prejudicial to the safety or interest of the State.”
A Twitter duel had erupted between Dubey and Opposition MPs Tharoor and Mahua Moitra (TMC) recently over the prospect of the panel seeking views of Facebook on the WSJ report.
In the report, US newspaper Wall Street Journal cited interviews with unnamed Facebook insiders to claim that one of its senior India policy executives intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on a BJP MLA from Telangana after he allegedly made communally charged posts.
Reacting to the controversy, Facebook said the company’s social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence, adding these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.
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