Question on PMO’s YouTube channel disallowed, says Congress lawmaker

In a three-part question, Chidambaram also sought to know about the revenue accrued from the monetisation, whether advertisements were allowed to run on the channel, and if these were being screened

New Delhi: Opposition Congress lawmaker Karti P Chidambaram on Monday said his question in Parliament on whether the YouTube channel of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was monetised has been disallowed on the grounds that it is not primarily a concern of the government.

The second half of the Parliament’s Budget Session began on Monday. (ANI)

In a tweet on the first day of the second half of the Parliament’s Budget Session, Chidambaram said: “It is baffling that the official channel of the country’s Prime Ministerial Office is apparently not the concern of the govt.”

In a three-part question, Chidambaram also sought to know about the revenue accrued from the monetisation, whether advertisements were allowed to run on the channel, and if these were being screened.

The question was rejected under the provisions of rule 41 (2) (viii), which refer to the acceptable categories to admit questions as per the Lok Sabha Speaker’s directions. “It shall not relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the Government of India,” say the provisions about the grounds on which a question can be barred. They specify a question shall “be clearly and precisely expressed and shall not be too general incapable of any specific answer or in the nature of a leading question.” The provisions say questions should not “contain arguments, inferences, ironical expressions, imputations, epithets or defamatory statements.”