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The government has directed mobile companies to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all future phones, sparking privacy concerns and political backlash. Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi and Priyanka Chaturvedi, called the app a “spy tool” that can track citizens’ activities.
Opposition Slams Pre-Installed ‘Sanchaar Saathi’ App
New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications has directed mobile companies to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all upcoming mobile phones. Opposition parties have strongly reacted to this move, saying it violates the privacy of ordinary citizens and is being seen as a "spy app."
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "This app is invading the privacy of citizens. Everyone has the right to communicate with their family and friends without the government's scrutiny. This move is a sign of the country moving towards dictatorship." She also alleged that the government is stifling discussion on every issue and blaming the opposition.
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Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Mobile activities can be monitored by installing the Sanchar Saathi app. This is another method of surveillance under the guise of a pre-installed app. Privacy is our fundamental right, and this step of jeopardizing it is unacceptable."
The opposition said that there is a thin line between reporting fraud and monitoring every activity on citizens' phones. Priyanka Gandhi warned that the government is invading people's privacy under the guise of preventing fraud. She said that cybersecurity is important, but that does not mean that every citizen's phone should be monitored.
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Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the government should develop an effective grievance redressal system, not focus on surveillance. She said that this desire to control and monitor citizens is a threat to democracy.
Both leaders appealed to the government to respect the privacy and freedom of citizens. The opposition says the decision to pre-install the communication companion app should be immediately revoked and people should be given the right to control their data and phones.
