NEW DELHI:Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien has questioned the criteria adopted by a parliamentary committee to choose members of a sub-committee on the net neutrality issue and voiced anguish over his non-inclusion in the panel.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology Anurag Thakur, however, countered the objection of the Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP, saying he never indicated his "preference" to be on the sub-committee on net neutrality.
O'Brien wrote to Thakur saying his name has not been included in the list of members of Sub-Committee-II on Ministry of Communications and Information Technology examining net neutrality.
"I have actively led the discussion of net neutrality in the House, and raised a Calling Attention on this issue in May this year... I urge you to reconsider the membership of this Sub-Committee in light of my keen interest and consistent participation in Committee meetings on this topic," he wrote to Thakur.
He also demanded information on the criteria to appoint members to the sub-committee. "It would also be helpful if you could inform me of the criteria used to make membership decisions for sub-committees," he said.
But Thakur made it clear that O'Brien had not given his preference to be a member of the sub-committee on net neutrality.
"In the absence of specific preference from the member in the present term of the Committee, he was chosen to continue as a Member of the Sub-Committee-I on Ministry of I&B," Thakur said in a press statement.