Tharoor-led parliamentary panel summons Facebook\, BJP now targets Manish Tewari
NEW DELHI: The war of words between BJP and Congress over the Facebook controversy took a new turn on Thursday with the ruling party alleging that former union minister Manish Tewari had used the advisory services of Bharat Gopalaswamy, a former director at the Atlantic Council, a body which “controls and guides” the social media site’s dealings with political propaganda. Denying these charges, Tewari maintained that BJP has dealings with Facebook and AC.
Meanwhile, the Shashi Tharoor-led parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has summoned Facebook representatives at a sitting of the panel to be held on September 2 to hear its views on “safeguarding citizens’ rights and misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space”. This comes in the midst of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s objections to Tharoor acting unilaterally in deciding the agenda and persons to be summoned to depose before the committee.
Dubey wrote another letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and demanded that Tharoor be asked to proceed on leave and another member of the committee be appointed to act as chairperson. The committee’s term expires on September 12, 2020.
On Thursday evening, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya shared on his twitter handle an August 18, 2020 dated mail written by Tewari to Facebook in which he has raised concerns over the social media site’s handling of the hate-speech issue.
Tewari ends his letter with a request for Facebook’s response on the matter. “We would also welcome any additional thoughts or information that you may want to add to this context. My senior policy advisor Dr Bharath Gopalaswamy, PhD is resident in Washington DC and can be contacted if you need any immediate assistance or clarification…,” the Congress leader said.
Terming this a serious revelation, Malviya sought to know whether Indian MPs can hire “lobbyists in US masquerading as advisors”.
“Gopalaswamy served as the director of South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, where Manish Tewari also served. Interestingly, it is the same Atlantic Council which controls and guides Facebook’s effort in dealing with political propaganda,” he said.
The BJP leader charged AC with purging pro-right wing pages from Facebook and said this number was 10 times more than pro-Congress pages.
“The Atlantic Council is also a global Facebook partner in its election integrity efforts. In light of these revelations, it is puzzling that INC, at the first instance, has clandestinely chosen to use the services of Bharat Gopalaswamy to lobby for INC with Facebook,” Malviya said. He also alleged that such alliances and services are “used to gain access to FB’s management to influence the political process in India”.
The battle between the two parties has become one of proving who had greater access and control over Facebook.
Tewari has denied BJP’s charges and asked how an email sent to Facebook on the evening of August 18 got into the hands of the ruling party on August 20, even before the social media site has acknowledged its receipt. He sought to know who gave the letter to Malviya.
“Nothing demonstrates the alleged collusion between Facebook and BJP than this,” Tewari told ET. He emphasised that his relations with Gopalaswamy go back over a decade and he has consulted him pro-bono on a “whole bunch of issues”.
“I was with Atlantic Council till December 31, 2019 and served pro-bono. I was replaced by none other than Jay Panda, vice president of the BJP, as Non-Resident Senior Fellow there. To put the record straight, Jay is also serving pro-bono. Bharat Gopalaswamy left the organisation on July 31, 2019,” Tewari said.
Meanwhile, Dubey has cited Rule 258(3) of Rules of Procedure in Lok Sabha in his letter to the Speaker to press his demand. He has requested Birla to “persuade Dr Tharoor to proceed on leave and thereafter …. choose another member of the committee to act as chairperson” as the Congress leader has exhibited “flawed and terrible disdain towards established parliamentary institutions”.
“Under severe mental agony and with a very heavy heart, I am compelled to bring to your kind notice the flawed and terrible disdain towards established parliamentary institutions being exhibited by Dr Tharoor….,” Dubey said in his letter.
He goes on to say that Tharoor is “not a new architect of creating unnecessary controversies to grind his political ambitions and at the same time targeting my party”.