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BJP protests against AAP govt's plan to buy snooping devices
The BJP on Saturday protested outside Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence against the AAP government proposal to high-end equipment for surveillance and monitoring for its anti-corruption branch.
The BJP on Saturday protested outside Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence against the AAP government proposal to buy high-end equipment for surveillance and monitoring for its anti-corruption branch.
Police used water cannons against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters and one of them was injured during the party's agitation against the Kejriwal government.
"We will protest against this wherever possible. Who gave Arvind Kejriwal permission to buy snooping equipment?" Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay was quoted as saying by ANI.
"The AAP wants to break into people's privacy. Who gave them the right to tap Delhi people's phone calls?," questioned Upadhyay.
Opposition parties had earlier slammed the Aam Aadmi Party government saying that the Delhi government would misuse the snooping devices to settle scores with opponents and others.
The plan to buy the equipment for "research, analysis, surveillance and monitoring purposes" was part of a Rs 36-crore proposal to run the ACB, up from Rs 7 crore spent on it currently.
A cabinet note prepared for the Kejriwal cabinet proposes to spend Rs 3.2 crore on the high-end equipment and the rest on vehicles, mobile phones, computers and salaries for additional staff.
The note, accessed by HT, said it had been approved by the minister in charge, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
Government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma, however, insisted there was no such cabinet note.
The latest controversy comes in the midst of a tussle between the Union home ministry and the Kejriwal government over the ACB.
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