Sign in

Clarify if government will recognise cryptos or not: Adhir Ranjan tells Centre

Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday said the government should clear the air around the much awaited introduction of a bill aimed at regulating cryptocurrencies in India

Published on: Dec 13, 2021, 15:05:07 IST
By
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

In light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account being hacked for a brief period of time, Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday said the government should clear the air around the much awaited introduction of a bill aimed at regulating cryptocurrencies in India.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday questioned that if the prime minister’s Twitter handle can be compromised, how can the government ensure safety and security of the citizens’ Twitter handles. (HT/File)
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday questioned that if the prime minister’s Twitter handle can be compromised, how can the government ensure safety and security of the citizens’ Twitter handles. (HT/File)

“At a time when the government is planning to ban cryptocurrencies, the prime minister’s Twitter handle is compromised and a link is tweeted saying the government is going to recognise cryptocurrencies. The government should clarify in the Parliament whether it is going to recognise cryptocurrency or not,” said Chowdhury in Lok Sabha.

He questioned that if the prime minister’s Twitter handle can be compromised, how can the government ensure safety and security of the citizens’ Twitter handles. “This is a serious issue... The safety and security of our country is at risk here,” the Congress MP said.

Also Read: As govt prepares to table cryptocurrency bill, PM Modi’s remarks

He said the Centre needs to explain to Parliament why the PM’s Twitter handle got hacked twice in the last two years.

Chowdhury’s remarks came a day after Modi’s Twitter handle was briefly compromised and then quickly secured. When the account was hacked, a link promising a Bitcoin giveaway was shared. Many users have been sharing screen shots of the tweet that was wrongfully posted on Modi’s Twitter handle when it was compromised. The post claimed, “India has officially adopted Bitcoin as legal tender”.

“As per our investigation to date, it appears that the account was not compromised due to any breach of Twitter’s systems,” the microblogging company later said.

In September last year, Modi’s Twitter account was hacked by an unknown group.

Check India news real-time updates, latest news on Hindustan Times and more across India.