New Delhi: ‘State-sponsored hackers’ trying to hack iPhones and other Apple devices Apple’s warning to several opposition leaders has stirred national politics. Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mahua Maitra, directly accused the government of tapping opposition phones in the wake of Apple’s warning. The government, however, denied all the allegations and said that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the matter. Central. Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav claimed that Apple’s warning was ‘false’. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology may soon summon Apple executives to settle the matter, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday (November 1), quoting a government source. According to the Secretariat of the Standing Committee, the Committee has expressed ‘deep concern’ in this matter. They are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’. On the same day, Trinamool MP Mahua Maitra sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding an inquiry into the matter.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday about Apple’s warning, Mahua Maitra claimed it violated the ‘constitutional freedom of opposition MPs’. In the two-page letter, Mahua Maitra also mentioned surveillance using Pegasus software from 2019-21. He said he was ‘doubly surprised’ by Apple’s warning even from that incident. “This illegal government surveillance, using software available only to public officials, is the most egregious attack on our fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution,” he wrote. He also said that opposition leaders have been targeted for the past few years. Attempts have been made to suppress dissenting voices in various ways.
Addressing Om Birla, Mahua Maitra said, “Sir, you are the keeper of trust. of the Lok Sabha, and the guardian of every member thereof. I request you to immediately provide us with the necessary security to discharge our duties as a vibrant opposition party. I trust, you will definitely consider this matter seriously. We want the authorities concerned to be held accountable for this flagrant violation of the law, constitutional freedoms, and our rights as MPs.”
Apple sent this message to several leaders of the opposition camp on Tuesday. Among these leaders are Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, KC Benugopal, Supriya Sreenate, TS Singh Deo, Bhupinder Singh Hooda; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Maitra, CPIM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others.
