“Usually, the government tries to pass the back on to the state government as it happens, saying that these are state subjects. But there is also...a federal union list. Internet is an integral part of modern day's existence. This should be at least in directive principles…[there must be] some federal law which may probably give a framework, a standard SOP, where state government should also have to take cognisance, that will not tantamount to infringement of the rights of the state in a federal structure,” said Member of Parliament Pradyut Bordoloi while speaking to MediaNama about ongoing internet shutdown in Manipur. In August 2022, the lawmaker had written a letter to the Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw raising pertinent questions about the prolonged internet suspension in Manipur last year. The MP questioned if the government had created a repository of information on internet suspensions ordered in different states and also called for a law to regulate such shutdowns. Cut to June 2023, the MP speaks to MediaNama's Sarasvati T about the month-long internet suspension in Manipur again, addresses some of the critical aspects of such measures deployed by the state government and indicates raising a private member’s bill on the issue in the near future. Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/a-tO0rn-F4c Here's a transcript of the interview, which includes recommendations from the Parliamentarian on how the government must engage with measures like internet shutdown, which he says are antithetical to the idea of democracy: MediaNama: In 2022, you had written a letter…
