Constitute Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe nexus between BJP and Facebook: Yechury

Aug 17, 2020

New Delhi [India], Aug 17 : Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday demanded constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe allegations of a nexus between the BJP and Facebook.
"Constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe this nexus between BJP and Facebook. Pending the findings of the JPC, FB should be barred from operating with any government department or constitutional body like the ECI etc," Yechur tweeted.
In another tweet, Yechury said, "Facebook is a global company which has illegally interfered in India's electoral process, promoting the agenda of the ruling party. It seeks profits from hate. It has promoted hate speech, which is a violation of law and is liable for criminal prosecution."
The CPI (M) leader further alleged, "It is equally worrisome that government bodies, institutions and departments have worked in close cooperation with FB, which is tantamount to subvert our democracy and has possibly compromised India's interests."
Facebook and WhatsApp are in the midst of a controversy with the Congress alleging their connivance with the ruling BJP in not following rules of removing hate content from their platform for commercial advantages.
On the basis of a report published in an American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, Rahul Gandhi has alleged that Facebook and WhatsApp are controlled by BJP and RSS in India.
Describing the matter as shocking, the Congress has demanded the formation of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to investigate it.