AAP MP tries to cite Swedish report against India in Parliament; VP Naidu takes a stand

Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday did not allow an AAP MP to pose a question in which he was citing a report from a Sweden-based institution. The incident happened during the in the Rajya Sabha when Union Information and Technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was replying to a number of questions related to social media in the country. 

First, AAP MP Sushil Kumar Gupta sought to ask about the steps taken by the Government of India to curb misinformation and fake news on social media and what measures or laws it is planning to introduce. The Minister gave an elaborate response to the MP saying that the government respects social media for empowering common people but action will be taken if it is misused to spread fake news and violence. He also said that social media companies will have to follow and respect Indian laws.

'What is the use of a Sweden report?'

Then, the Aam Aadmi Party leader tried posing a question citing a Sweden-based institution, only to be interrupted by the Rajya Sabha Chairman who said, "What is this question? What report it is? What is the concern of Sweden's Widen institute here? These are all political. They should look inward. All countries which are commenting on India should first look inward and then comment on India." He then asked another question.

Venkaiah's Naidu's statement comes at a time when the Indian government has condemned the statements from international celebrities and governments on the ongoing farmers' protests. 

Comply with laws in India: Govt to Twitter

The government on Wednesday expressed "strong displeasure" over Twitter's delay in taking prompt action against accounts and hashtags spreading misinformation and provocative content around the farmers' stir, as the IT Ministry made it clear that the company must comply with the country's laws irrespective of the platform's own rules. 

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Twitter has suspended over 500 accounts and blocked access to several others within India while refusing to block accounts of "news media entities, journalists, activists and politicians" citing the need to uphold freedom of expression. During a virtual interaction between IT Secretary and senior officials of Twitter, the government told the microblogging platform that as a business entity operating in India, it must respect the laws and democratic institutions and take strong action against "well-coordinated" campaigns "designed to create disharmony and unrest" in the country. 

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