Shashi Tharoor should be removed as Chairman of Standing Committee on IT: Nishikant Dubey

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who is a member of the standing committee on Information Technology has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking the removal of Shashi Tharoor from the post of its chairman. According to Dubey, Tharoor had violated rules of procedure of Lok Sabha.

"I've written another letter to Lok Sabha Speaker today requesting him to persuade Shashi Tharoor to not take meetings of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology. I've also requested that he be removed from Chairman post," Dubey told .

"According to Rule 283 and 258 (3) of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of business in Lok Sabha, the behaviour of Shashi Tharoor as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee is unacceptable," he added.

Dubey further said that BJP is not favouring any particular media.

"We are not favouring any social media. I had said in the Parliament that social media platforms be regulated just like Print and Electronic media, as it propagates a lot of fake and biased news and it infringes on the privacy of people," he said.

Earlier yesterday, Nishikant Dubey had given a breach of privilege notice against the chairperson of the panel Shashi Tharoor and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over Facebook row.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dubey alleged that Tharoor has surpassed "all limits of decency, ethics and basic tenets of parliamentary procedure and practice" and committed "a grave breach of privilege" as an MP and as chairperson of the standing committee on IT.

Dubey said it has also been widely reported in the media that Tharoor has instructed the secretariat of the panel to immediately summon Facebook.

He said Rahul Gandhi also tweeted over the incident.

"BJP and RSS control of Facebook and WhatsApp in India. They spread fake news and hatred thorough it and use it to influence the electorate," Dubey cited Gandhi's tweet in his letter.

Dubey said Tharoor has no powers to summon any entity/orgsation without consulting the members of the committee. "The agenda of any sitting of the parliamentary committee is decided after due deliberations and consultation with all the members," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )