BJP MP Urges Tharoor To Cancel 1 Sep IT Panel Meeting on 4G in J&K

Nishikant Dubey has written to the Speaker seeking removal of Tharoor from the post of chairman of the IT panel.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

(Photo: PTI/Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

Member of the Information Technology parliamentary panel and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has written to the panel’s chairperson and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, asking him to cancel the upcoming panel meeting citing that the ‘agenda is in contravention of the rules of the House.’

The meeting, scheduled for 1 September, is to discuss the withdrawal of 4G services in Jammu & Kashmir, reports The Indian Express.

What’s the Hullabaloo?

Earlier, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, had asked the heads of the parliamentary panel to conduct meetings and procedures adhering to the rule book. He said not to take matters sub-judice in the committee meetings nor discuss matters related to national security.

Post this, Dubey had questioned the motive of the meeting and raised the following issues:

• The issue of 4G service resumption in J&K is presently pending before the Supreme Court (SC) and any further deliberations on this would again be a violation of the relevant rules/directions as well as the recently issued advisory of the Speaker.
• The agenda of the meetings are being decided in front of the media.
• Key subjects that needed to be deliberated upon are being put on the back burner.
• Various smaller issues which may grab headlines in the news are being given priority.
• Dubey alleges that the platform is being used for “gaining political mileage and raising baseless controversies.”
• He had also written to the Speaker seeking removal of Tharoor from the post of chairman of the IT panel for “flouting” rules.

Agenda of the Upcoming Meetings

Committee Meeting on 1 September

The agenda of the meeting scheduled for 1 September is to take oral evidence of the representatives of the home ministry, ministry of communications, representatives of Delhi, Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir on the suspension of telecom services in J&K and its impacts.

Committee Meeting on 2 September

On 2 September, the committee will “hear the views of the representatives of Facebook on the subject of ‘safeguarding citizens’ rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space.”

Tharoor’s panel has summoned representatives from Facebook seeking and explanation on the report published by the Wall Street Journal where Facebook India turned a blind eye to hate speech being doled out by BJP leaders on its platform.

Dubey has raised an objection to this as he alleges that the agenda wasn’t discussed with the panel members.