Don’t ask questions based on newspaper information: LS Speaker Om Birla 

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday cautioned MPs not to ask questions based on what is published in newspapers and raise issues only on the basis of their own information.

Birla’s direction came after A. Raja, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and an MP from Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu, referred to a newspaper article while asking a supplementary question during Question Hour.

“MPs should not ask questions based on information published in newspapers. This is in the rule book that questions should not be asked based on the information of newspapers and television channels. So, ask questions based on your own information,” Birla said while interrupting Raja.

Raja put a supplementary question when question number 346 linked to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) mentioned in the list of 20 questions for the oral answer was raised.

“Yesterday, newspapers carried very hot and burning articles. This government came to power by saying that Rs 1.73 lakh crore loss to the exchequer in 2G (spectrum allocation). We suffered a lot. That is not the question. I want to ask a legitimate question,” Raja said.

“The newspapers carried articles that the Law Minister and the Telecom Ministry succeeded in getting the Supreme Court’s permission to allow private telecom operators like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea to pay statutory dues totaling Rs one lakh crore over 20 years. You succeeded. Who gave the concession to the operators?” (IANS)

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