3 Oppn parties back Tharoor’s decision to summon FB officials
IT PANEL SPLIT Point of concern for public at large, says DMK, as TMC, TRS accuse social media company of bias; BJP hits back
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If Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg can appear in front of the US Congress... then why a double standard when it comes to India. The reports paint a grave picture...
nNEW DELHI: Members of at least three opposition parties are now backing Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s decision to summon officials from Facebook to answer a parliamentary panel over allegations that the social media company acted in a politically partisan manner to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Tharoor, who heads the 30-member panel on information and technology, till Thursday only found support from Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra. The panel also has 14 MPS from BJP, which has opposed the committee’s decision to go into the matter.
On Friday, the Hindustan Times reached out to at least one member of each party to see if they backed the senior Congress leader, and found that the DMK and TRS – in addition to TMC -- are in favour of the move. CPI(M) and Shiv Sena did not respond to repeated calls and texts to confirm their position, while YSRCP declined to comment. The lone LJP MP could not be reached since he was not fit to take a call, his aide told Hindustan Times.
The panel has 30 members and one vacant seat. Its Lok Sabha party representatives include two each from the Congress and TMC, 11 from BJP, and one each from DMK, CPI(M), Shiv Sena, TRS, LJP and YSRCP. The Rajya Sabha party members include two from Congress, three from BJP, one each from TMC and YSRCP and two nominated members. Of the 30, at least 15 are BJP and allies, while one seat is vacant.
The controversy was spotlighted by the Wall Street Journal last week. The newspaper reported that Facebook India intervened in content moderation processes to ensure hate speeches by a BJP leader were
SUMATHY THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN, DMK MP
not taken down – a claim the company has since denied. Facebook India on Friday evening reiterated it acts in an unbiased manner.
“If Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg can appear in front of the US Congress to assuage their fears, then why a double standard when it comes to India,” said DMK MP Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian. “The reports paint a grave picture and we would like to hear from Facebook about them.”
She added that this was not only a point of concern for the parliamentary panel or the members of parliament, but also for the public at large. “They can’t selectively apply their rules or fulfil their obligations on the basis of which country is making the demand,” she added.
TRS MP Gaddam Ranjith Reddy too said he would like to hear from Facebook on the matter. “If you ask me, yes I would like to hear an explanation from them,” Reddy told Hindustan Times. “I don’t find there is anything wrong with calling a meeting. It is well within the power of the chair.”
Reddy also added that there was nothing wrong about seeking an explanation when Facebook was behaving in such a biased manner.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey objected on Thursday to Tharoor’s decision saying the chairperson does not have the power to summon anyone without the signature of the Secretary General. Dubey and BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathore have also written to the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla seeking that Tharoor be removed as chairperson for misusing his position for political purposes. “He (Tharoor) cannot use the panel to further his party’s interests. The Parliament is not an extension of the Congress,” Dubey had told Hindustan Times.
TMC’S Mahua Moitra has also alleged that Facebook conducted a training in the Parliament annexe, where foreign entities are not supposed to be allowed. “They conducted the training last November or December,” she said. “When I asked officials in the Parliament about it, they said they didn’t know the training was being conducted by Facebook.”
Hindustan Times reached out to Facebook for a comment about the panel invitation and Moitra’s allegations but did not receive a response.
CPI(M) MP PR Natarajan, said that he would wait and watch how the proceedings go. “The Committee will meet on 1 September, let us see what grievances Dubey has,” Natarajan said. “We will raise and discuss the issue in the Committee.”
Shiv Sena MP Dhairyasheel Mane too remained non-committal on the issue.
PDT Achary, former secretary general of the Lok Sabha, said the chairperson has a right to introduce a special subject during the proceedings and the members have to be informed about it, or a member can recommend a particular subject under Rule 276. In this case, he added, 276 need not be applied since the subject has already been selected.
“Moreover, for selecting the witnesses, consent of the Committee is not required. It is the prerogative of the chair. The members are informed after that.” said Achary.