Rahul slams Digital India programme

New Delhi

Taking a swipe at the 'Digital India' programme of Mr Modi government, Mr Gandhi stressed that the 'Digital India' programme of the Government meant 'Internet connectivity as a public utility' and could not become an euphemism for 'an Internet controlled by large remote corporations'.

"NASSCOM has asked for Net Neutrality, over 500 start-up entrepreneurs are pleading for it, yout in India have been demanding it, yet we have a government, which under the pretext of repeated discussions, has been delaying framing a clear-cut policy on this.  BJP government quietly looked the other way when Telecom companies introduced price differential through zero rating plans and attempts to charge for OTT (Over The Top) services. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued consultation papers on the issue twice over, covering similar questions for consumers to answer on Net Neutrality, free basics and data price differentiation," Mr Gandhi said in a statement issued here.

Stressing that the 'Digital India' programme of the Government meant 'Internet connectivity as a public utility' rather than 'an Internet controlled by large remote corporations', Mr Gandhi expressed the hope that the TRAI report (scheduled to come out on January 31) and Mr Modi government would declare their commitment to open internet.

He said, "the Congress has always stood for 'Freedom of the Internet' and 'Net Neutrality'. We believe that Internet Service Providers (ISPs)/Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and government should treat all data on Internet equally. Congress Party's and my belief is shaped by our faith that internet users should be free to connect to any website or service that they want, enabling a level playing field on the 'world wide web'. We recognise the danger of privileging a private platform over a public Internet introducing a new digital divide. In my opinion, Internet is a powerful poverty alleviation tool, offering unbounded opportunities limited only by imagination, whether it is a farmer looking for information on monsoon preparedness, artisans connecting with buyers in a market place or a college student from rural India enrolling for an online course," he said.