BJP attacks Tharoor for summoning Facebook in Parliamentary committee

A BJP MP and member of Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology (I & T) urged all NDA MPs in the Committee to write a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla against its chairman Shashi Tharoor in connection with summoning Facebook without taking members in confidence, sources said.

The controversy erupted over the issue after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in the country.

Later, Tharoor said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology would certainly wish to hear from Facebook about the media reports.

"The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology would certainly wish to hear from Facebook about these reports & what they propose to do about hate-speech in India," Tharoor tweeted.

Earlier on Monday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said that the Chairman of Standing Committee does not have the authority to do anything without discussion of the agenda with its member.

"The Chairman of Standing Committee does not have the authority to do anything without discussion of the agenda with its member. Shashi Tharoor stop Rahul Gandhi agenda without authorisation by the Committee and Speaker Om Birla," Dubey tweeted.

Commenting on Dubey, Tharoor alleged that he has brought the Committee's work into disrepute.

"You are absolutely right, Mahua Moitra, & by imputing motives to my decision, Nishikant Dubey has brought the Committee's work into disrepute, a matter I will take up. Extraordinary that an MP would suggest that a matter of such great public interest should NOT be taken up by us!" the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram tweeted.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra sad that it is prerogative of the Chairman when to schedule each item and who to call.

"Am IT comm member - agenda item was already agreed & bulletinized with Speaker's approval at the beginning of the year. When to schedule each item & who to call is Chairman's prerogative Amazing how BJP jumps up & down at anything to do with FB's interests!" Moitra tweeted.