BJP dismisses Opposition's ‘snooping app’ claim over Sanchar Saathi, says no threat to privacy
This comes amid claims that the Sanchar Saathi app was intended for snooping and would amount to a breach in privacy.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shashank Mani Tripathi on Tuesday defended the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) move to mandate the Sanchar Saathi app be preinstalled on mobile phones, saying it will enhance the sense of security.
This comes amid claims that the Sanchar Saathi app was intended for snooping and would amount to a breach in privacy. The Deoria MP said that every aspect of citizen protection that should be ensured will be digitally protected.
"This is a very important step. I'm from IIT, so I understand the types of cyber attacks that are taking place. I understand the types of data being stolen during external pilots. This communication app will enhance people's sense of security. Our data won't escape, and every aspect of citizen protection that should be ensured will be digitally protected. I welcome this,” ANI quoted Tripathi as saying.
Shashank Mani Tripathi stated that the app would not constitute a breach of privacy and called for the development of more indigenous applications.
“There's no threat to privacy. All the investigations into this have been conducted with privacy in mind. The biggest threat to privacy comes from external apps, and we've been dealing with that for many years. We should adopt our indigenous apps. There is no threat to privacy; rather, we should move towards indigenous apps, even in digital," he added.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju also defended the move, saying that the opposition was “manufacturing issues” to disturb parliament proceedings.
"They don't need to find new issues and disturb the Parliament. All issues are important in their own right, but using them as a means to stall Parliament is not right... We will hold talks with opposition leaders. I am already in touch with them. We are not belittling their issues, but there are many issues in the country, not just one," he said.
Priyanka Gandhi calls Sanchar Saathi a ‘snooping app’
On the other side of the debate, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi called Sanchar Saathi a “snooping app”. She said that the DoT order was “ridiculous” and accused the government of turning the country into a “dictatorship”.
"It is a snooping app... I mean, clearly, it's ridiculous... citizens have the right to privacy to send their own messages to family, friends, without the government looking at everything. They are turning this country into a dictatorship in every form. Parliament is not functioning because they are refusing to talk about anything," she told the media before the second day of the Parliament’s winter session.
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury has filed an adjournment motion notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking suspension of business to discuss the government's directions on the installation of the Sanchar Saathi App in new mobile handsets.
The Congress has criticised the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) directions on the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app in new mobile handsets as unconstitutional and has demanded its immediate rollback.
The party MP has demanded a discussion under Rule 267, which requires setting aside all other business to address the matter.
The party's MP, Rajeev Shukla, called the order "a dangerous and worrisome thing."
