Taking sturdy objection to the “last-minute refusal” by representatives of three ministries to attend the assembly of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Wednesday, panel chairman Shashi Tharoor wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take him “seriously”. ” asked for. took cognizance of the matter, and called his conduct “unprecedented”, “violation of parliamentary privilege” and “contempt of the House”.
IT Panel, which is anticipated to debate Pegasus spy ware On this problem, officers of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Telecommunications had been known as on the topic.Citizens’ knowledge safety and privateness‘.
While the assembly couldn’t happen as the ten BJP members current didn’t signal the attendance register, and therefore ensured lack of quorum, it’s the motion of the ministry officers that Tharoor has taken up with the Speaker. The Standing Committee has 31 members (together with Tharoor), and a quorum requires at the very least 10 to be current. After the absence of BJP members, solely 9 had been left on Wednesday.
Tharoor stated the officers knowledgeable that they’d not seem earlier than the panel inside minutes of one another at 2.33 pm, 2.44 pm and a pair of.55 pm.
In his three-page letter, which he has reportedly circulated to all of the members of the panel, Tharoor has stated that each the ministries and the division have been knowledgeable concerning the 28 July Parliamentary Standing Committee assembly earlier than July 20. had gone.
“All the three Ministries/Departments had confirmed their participation… However, just before the meeting took place, I was informed by the Committee branch of the Secretariat that email communications have been received at around 3 pm on 28 July. Three Ministries/Departments are hereby informed that their representatives will not be able to appear before the Committee,” Tharoor wrote.
Giving particulars of the sequence of occasions, he has requested that MeitY “forward an email at 2.44 pm” in search of exemption from showing earlier than the committee, saying that the chairman of the Joint Committee on Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 has “an urgent Would like to have a meeting” with Secretary and different senior officers of MeitY for dialogue/clarification on Personal Data Protection Bill at 3.45 PM in Speaker’s Room in Parliament House Annex.
The residence ministry, in its letter, stated Tharoor “forwarded his mail at 2.33 pm, seeking exemption from attending the meeting due to urgent and pressing commitments relating to the Parliament session”.
An analogous communication, he stated, was “received at 2.52 hrs from the Department of Telecom stating that it is not possible for the Secretary, DoT to appear before the committee due to matters relating to Parliament relating to Parliament Questions listed on 29 July.” Will occur” .
Citing Direction 59(1) by the Speaker, which states that any ministry or division needs to be represented by the secretary or the top of the division, if proof is required to be given earlier than a committee on any matter, Tharoor wrote, “It is necessary to share that, as Speaker, I didn’t pardon these witnesses from attendance.
Referring to the provisions contained within the train and process of Parliament by Kaul and Shakdher, Tharoor has stated that failure of a witness to look earlier than the committee constitutes contempt of the House.
“Last-minute refusal by the Ministries/Departments to appear before the Committee is unprecedented and is clearly a breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House. In addition, it has curtailed the authority of the parliamentary committee. I hope you will take serious cognizance of this matter and take appropriate action as per rules,” Tharoor stated.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament on what occurred on the assembly on Wednesday, the Congress MP stated, “I am deeply disappointed that some elements have chosen to reduce this committee to some sort of ping pong match on certain issues. , which I do not believe is in the spirit of Parliament or Parliamentary Committee.”
On BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shifting a “privilege motion” in opposition to him, Tharoor stated it has no “validity” as no set process was adopted in shifting the movement, which required the Speaker’s nod of the House. is required earlier than it may be launched.
On Dubey’s allegation that Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra had known as him a “Bihari goonda” when the panel members gathered for a gathering on Wednesday, Tharoor stated, “How can I tell you about a meeting Which never happened? I’m completely unaware that if someone allegedly said something in a meeting that never happened to someone who wasn’t there. How could I be worried about that?”
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
