House panel calls FB execs on Sept 2
ROW INTENSIFIES BJP parliamentarian Nishikant Dubey writes to Lok Sabha Speaker seeking the removal of Shashi Tharoor from the position of chairman of the standing committee on IT
NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on information and technology has summoned representatives of social media company Facebook to appear before it on September 2 to present their views on the issue of safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social and online news media.
The summons come in the backdrop of the controversy that has erupted after a Wall Street Journal report showed that Facebook’s top lobbyist in India recommended against taking down hate speech posts of a BJP leader on the ground that this could spoil the company’s relationship with the government.
The committee headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has also summoned representatives of the ministry of communications (department of telecommunications), ministry of home affairs and the representatives of the state of Bihar, Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Delhi on September 1 to discuss the subject of suspension of telecom services/ internet and its impact.
On the same day it will also hear the views of the representatives of news broadcasters Association, Press Council of India and Prasar Bharati on the subject of ethical standards in media coverage.
While the BJP has denied the allegations made in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, its Lok Sabha parliamentarian Nishikant Dubey on Thursday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, seeking the removal of Tharoor from the position of chairman of the standing committee on IT.
Former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Rajyavardhan Rathore, has also written separately to the Lok Sabha speaker complaining against Tharoor.
Dubey’s letter comes a day after he and Tharoor filed breach of privilege notices against each other following a disagreement over the Congress leader’s remarks on summoning Facebook India executives.
In his letter to Birla, Dubey
Can Indian MPS hire lobbyists in US masquerading as advisors Whose interests do these lobbyists serve when they advise Congress MP Manish Tewari? AMIT MALVIYA , BJP IT head
Employees at @Facebook are asking questions as to why hate speech rules were bent & overlap between government relations & businesses interests. MANISH TEWARI, Cong leader
has said “speaking in ‘Spenserian’ English with a foreign accent does not give freedom to an individual to not only disregard our glorious parliamentary institutions/organs to meet his own political ambitions but also to abuse our constitution.”
Rathore, who, like Dubey, is also a member of the IT committee said members have no issue on “summoning whosoever the committee feels needs to be summoned for the protection of the rights of citizens of our country” but added that the matter should be discussed in the panel first.
Responding to the allegation leveled against the House panel’s chief, Tharoor, the Congress said Dubey made “disparaging remarks” on social media over the decision to summon a panel meeting to discuss the alleged “misconduct” of Facebook.
The Congress-bjp spat over the issue exacerbated when BJP’S IT cell head Amit Malviya alleged that Congress leader Manish Tewari “wrote a letter to Facebook management on 18th August, where he says that Facebook management can get in touch with his senior policy advisor Bharat Gopalaswamy in the USA”.
“Can Indian MPS hire lobbyists in US masquerading as advisors? Whose interests do these US based lobbyists serve when they advise Congress MP Manish Tewari?” Malviya tweeted.
Tewari shot back, “Reactions of both @Bjp4india & @Facebook demonstrate that the @WSJ story has probably opened a can of worms. Employees at @Facebook are asking serious questions as to why hate speech rules were bent by @Facebook & overlap between government relations & businesses interests.”
He also said, “Nothing demonstrates alleged collusion between certain elements @Facebook & certain elements in @Bjp4india than tweeting of my letter to Facebook Senior Management sent-18th August 2020 in the evening by @amitmalviya. Who in Facebook gave letter to @amitmalviya without it being even formally acknowledged by @Facebook.”
He said Dr Bharat Gopalaswamy is director of South Asia Centre at Atlantic Council and advises him pro bono on policy issues.