BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra (PTI)
NEW DELHI: BJP on Tuesday hit back at the Congress after the opposition accused the government of infringing on citizens’ privacy by directing smartphone makers to preload the Sanchar Saathi app on new devices.Taking a jibe at the Congress, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “I know who will delete it… ‘Chor ki daadhi mein tinka’ (a guilty conscience needs no accuser)”
He also made a veiled reference to the National Herald case, in which Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are accused. “You know very well who they are. An FIR has also been filed against them. They have swindled Rs 5,000 crore. At present, they are out on bail,” he told reporters at the BJP headquarters, as reported by PTI.Defending the app, Patra said it is designed to protect users from fraud and crime, not to monitor them, and emphasised that people are free to remove it from their phones if they do not wish to use it. “The app cannot read your messages. It cannot listen to your calls, incoming or outgoing. Sanchar Saathi cannot reach or breach your personal data.” He added that the app helps provide security, check fraud, track stolen mobile phones, and return them to their owners. Minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia also,clarified that the app will remain dormant unless users register on it, and can be deleted at any time.Congress has alleged that the directive reflects a “dictatorial” approach, calling Sanchar Saathi a “snooping app” and demanding that the move be withdrawn. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of trying to “strangulate the voice of the people”.Responding sharply, Patra said, “Mr Kharge, it is not meant to strangulate people’s voice but to secure their voice, and their mobile phones, without which life is difficult today. We need to secure the device. That is why the government has brought this app.”“You keep on spreading misinformation. But people know how to move on,” he added, as quoted by PTI.