Clash over prospects of calling Facebook intensifies in Parliament’s tech panel

The political row between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition members of a parliamentary panel on information technology over the prospects of calling Facebook officials before it intensified on Tuesday.

Ruling party member if Parliament (MP) Nishikant Dubey asserted that the Lok Sabha speaker’s decision should be final, while TMC’s Mahua Moitra emphasised that the US company has a lot to be accountable for.

Emphasising on the need to call the social media giant before the panel, Moitra said, “Ex-employees of Facebook have reached out to us (the standing committee) informally and have informed that in fact these issues were raised in Q and A sessions within Facebook internally but nothing much was done about it.”

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In a video posted on Twitter, Moitra said Facebook has a lot to be accountable for, not just to the parliamentary standing committee but to the people of India as well.

Dubey asserted that the parliamentary committee is an extension of Parliament, not of any party or not a platform to do politics.

Citing Rule 270 of the Lok Sabha’s procedure of business, Dubey said only the speaker can summon private persons.

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