Facebook row: Dubey wants Tharoor be removed as par panel head, US firm summoned on Sept 2

The Facebook row intensified into a full-blown war on Thursday with BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanding the removal of Shashi Tharoor as head of a parliamentary panel claiming he was using the platform for a political agenda as the day saw the ruling party and the Congress indulging in allegations and counter-allegations over the issue.

The Facebook row intensified into a full-blown war on Thursday with BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanding the removal of Shashi Tharoor as head of a parliamentary panel claiming he was using the platform for a political agenda as the day saw the ruling party and the Congress indulging in allegations and counter-allegations over the issue. The parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology has meanwhile summoned Facebook on September 2 to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of social media platforms.

Dubey has been leading his party's attack on Tharoor after the Congress leader spoke of summoning Facebook India executives following a Wall Street Journal report that claimed that the social media giant refused to apply hate-speech rules to certain ruling party politicians. The BJP MP wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting him to remove Tharoor from the post and appoint any other member as chairman of the committee. He 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." Party colleague Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is also a member of the panel, accused the Congress leader of "undermining" the panel's work.

Both Dubey and Tharoor have sniped on social media and then filed notices of breach of privilege against each other with the Speaker's office on Wednesday. Ever since Tharoor has become the panel head, "he is running the affairs of the committee in a thoroughly unprofessional manner and to serve his political agenda of spreading rumours and defaming my party", Dubey claimed in the letter. "... It would be highly improper for Dr. Shashi Tharoor to continue and regulate the proceedings of the committee. I, therefore, appeal to your good self to persuade Dr. Tharoor to proceed on leave and thereafter,... choose another member of the Committee to act as Chairperson," he said. Accusing Tharoor of issuing statements as to who would be summoned and what would be the agenda of the meeting without discussing the matter first with the committee's members, Rathore said this was "absolutely uncalled for" and is "violative" of the procedures of Lok Sabha.

"The proclivity of the IT committee chairman to speak to the media first undermines the functioning of the committee members and the committee itself," Rathore said in his letter to the Speaker. He said the IT committee 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. BJP IT department in-charge Amit Malviya later accused Congress MP Manish Tewari of suggesting his "go to man" to lobby with Facebook in the US over opposition charges that the platform was bending hate speech rules for some BJP leaders and said this is "a new low in politics".

Tewari hit back asking how the BJP got access to his letter which the social media giant has not even acknowledged and this clearly shows collusion between the two. Malviya shared Tewari's letter to Facebook of August 18 saying it opens up a Pandora's box after he said Facebook management can get in touch with his senior policy advisor Bharat Gopalaswamy in the US.

"His is a serious revelation and troublesome on multiple grounds. Can Indian MPs hire lobbyists in US masquerading as advisors," he asked. Tewari retorted, "Nothing demonstrates alleged collusion between certain elements Facebook and certain elements in BJP than tweeting of my letter to Facebook senior management sent - 18th August 2020 in the evening by Amit Malviya." Malviya also shared a picture of Gopalaswamy with Rahul Gandhi at a meet of the Atlantic Council, saying, "Does this leave anyone is doubt that Indian National Congress has been using all means to influence Facebook?"