The row over Facebook continues to be a hotly debated issue between the BJP and the Congress, especially in the Department Related Standing Committee for Information and Technology chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
While Tharoor has moved a privilege motion notice against BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey, the latter has moved a privilege motion notice against Tharoor as well as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
The war of words started on Twitter where Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra attacked a BJP lawmaker citing political agenda from the saffron party by being critical of Tharoor for summoning Facebook before the committee.
Tharoor added to Moitra's tweet, saying the BJP was constantly undermining the powers of the committee and also talking about the rules and role of the chairman of the body.
Dubey hit out at both, reminding them of the committee rules and how Tharoor had passed off his party's political agenda as committee priority.
Sources said Tharoor on Tuesday filed a privilege motion notice against the BJP MP from Jharkhand. Following this, Nishikant took to Twitter to announce a breach of privilege motion notice against both Tharoor and Gandhi for casting aspersions on the BJP as a party.
CNN-News18 has been able to access Dubey's letter of privilege breach. It reads: "I am also a Member of the Committee on Information Technology, wish to bring this fact on record that Dr Shashi Tharoor has never consulted the agenda of summoning Facebook and/or WhatsApp in any of the meetings of the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology. It is, therefore, a clear case, of breach of privilege by Shashi Tharoor in the capacity of Honourable Chairperson of the Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Information Technology."
"2. I will certainly look into the issue and the Committee [making reference of the Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Information Technology] will seek the views of Facebook."
It has also been widely reported that Tharoor has instructed the Secretariat of the Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Information Technology.
Dubey's notice also refers to a breach of privilege by Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi who had tweeted that the "BJP and RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in India, they spread fake news and hatred thorough it and use it to influence the electorate".
"By leveling the said unsubstantiated allegations against all the Members of Parliament, Lok Sabha, who belong to BJP, he has also lowered the dignity of all such Members of Parliament and infringed upon their Parliamentary Privileges. It is also a contempt of the House in view of the fact that prior to spreading such types of canards through media/social media, Rahul Gandhi has no legally tenable documents/papers," said Dubey's notice.
The petition of breach of privilege moved by Dubey has been put under Rule 227 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
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