BJP MP writes to LS speaker, demands Shashi Tharoor's removal as chairperson of IT Parliamentary panel

The demand for Shashi Tharoor's removal comes days after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology was set to question government officials on the Pegasus spyware issue.

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New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday urged the Lok Sabha speaker to "initiate urgent action and dismiss" Congress leader Shashi Tharoor from the parliamentary standing committee on information technology's chairmanship, saying otherwise he will continue to raise "irrelevant issues". Dubey is a member of the panel.

The demand for Tharoor's removal comes days after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology was set to question government officials on the Pegasus spyware issue.

However, the meeting which was scheduled for Wednesday could not take place as the panel's BJP members did not sign the attendance register, even though they were present in the meeting room along with members from the opposition, leading to a lack of quorum.

In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, Dubey said that a majority of members have exhibited their 'No Confidence' on the continuance of Tharoor as chairperson of the committee.

Demanding Tharoor's removal from the chairmanship of the parliamentary panel, he alleged that Tharoor is involved in questionable activities, inside the House as well as in the committee to tarnish the image of the democracy.

"I once again request your good self to initiate urgent action against Dr Shashi Tharoor and dismiss him from the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology as otherwise he would continue raising irrelevant issues before you and the media...," the BJP MP said in his letter.

Terming Tharoor's demand for action against government officials for not attending the last meeting of the panel, Dubey said it is against the conventions followed by the parliamentary committees.

The Congress MP in a letter to Birla has demanded action against ministry officials for their "last-minute refusal" to attend a panel meeting on Wednesday, saying that it is "contempt of the House".

The committee was expected to discuss the Pegasus snooping case in its last meeting.