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With license to agencies for mega snooping on computers & data, Opposition takes jibe saying, 'Ghar-Ghar Modi'

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 21 December 2018, 17:57 IST
PM Modi

The snooping angle will again emerge after the recent decision of the Modi government which has given powers to 10 central agencies to snoop on computers and data.

Home Ministry secretary Rajiv Gauba said that the Ten agencies have been quipped with powers “interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.”


But the Opposition has up the ante as they feel that the Right to Privacy given by the Supreme Court is getting breached upon and its a purely arbitrary decision by the central government.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said in a press conference “Through this order, the BJP government is turning India into a 'surveillance state'. It is against the right to privacy. This shows the ultimate use of power. This is a big threat democracy.”

Defending the government’s stand, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha said, “On December 20, the same order of authorisation was repeated that was existing since 2009. You are making a mountain where a molehill does not exist,” adding that “always had, the authorization given to these agencies were brought to law under the UPA government in 2009. We cannot gain access to anybody's phone or data unless it is related to national security.”

AIMIM’s Owaisi tweeted criticizing PM Narendra Modi that “Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ‘ghar ghar Modi’. George Orwell’s Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984.”

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “If it is for National Security, then only for that purpose Central Government already has the machinery. But, why all commoners will be affected?”

Also read: Your privacy under surveillance as Modi govt gives license to 10 central agencies to snoop on data 

First published: 21 December 2018, 17:57 IST