Why even begin a consultation process on this issue, asks Rahul
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: Jumping into the raging Net neutrality debate, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP government of trying to hand over the Internet space to corporates, and demanded that the consultation process initiated by the telecom regulator be halted immediately.
Raising the issue inside and outside the Lok Sabha, he said the Net neutrality debate was a “trial balloon” by the government, which he said, wanted to hand over the Internet space to corporates.
“I want to ask a question. If you have to protect Net neutrality, why did you begin the consultation process? It was a trial balloon. First float a trial balloon, see the reaction, and if the reaction is strong, then don’t proceed. That’s why we are opposing it tooth and nail so that they withdraw,” he said.
Responding to Mr Gandhi’s remarks, communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad declared that the BJP government stood for “Digital India” and the Internet would be available to people in a “non-discriminatory” manner.
Mr Gandhi also paid a “left-handed compliment” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Barack Obama’s praise for him. “For the first time a US President has spoken so highly of an Indian Prime Minister. This has happened for the first time in the last 60 years. Obama is not a small man. He is the US President. Earlier, such praise was showered only on Gorbachev, because he had helped the US,” Mr Rahul Gandhi said.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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