New Delhi [India], December 2 : TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, joined the opposition ranks to take on the Central Government on the activation of the Sanchar Saathi app on mobile headsets. The TMC leader said on Tuesday that mandating such an app by the government is completely illegal and unconstitutional.
He said, "This is totally absolutely illegal. This will be completely in breach of privacy. For you (the government) to detect cybercrime, transparency is needed. You cannot detect cybercrimes by entering my phone; the government has no right to know my personal mobile details. This is totally illegal and totally unconstitutional. You know, when the Aadhar was introduced, we said that Aadhar cards cannot be made compulsory, because the information would be divulged. The Supreme Court said only in case of subsidised food, or any other benefits, etc., it can be made compulsory."
Earlier, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury slammed the Centre over mandating the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi App in mobile phones, calling it a threat to national security.
She said, "They brought in Pegasus and have been unable to keep it under control. MPs and MLAs all say that their phones are being tapped. For the last 11 years, basic rights of the Indians have been taken away. This is the real threat to national security."
Chowdhury had also filed an adjournment motion on the Sanchar Saathi App in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also called the Sanchar Saathi App a snooping App and alleged that the centre was imposing dictatorship.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "It is a snooping app. It's ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy. Everyone must have the right to privacy to send messages to family and friends without the government looking at everything. They are turning this country into a dictatorship in every form. The parliament is not functioning because the government is refusing to talk about anything. It's very easy to blame the Opposition. They are not allowing any discussion on anything. A healthy democracy demands discussion. There's a very fine line between reporting fraud and seeing what every citizen of India is doing on their phone. That's not how it should work."
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Telecommunication Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday clarified that the Sanchar Saathi application is entirely voluntary for consumers, reiterating that neither installation nor activation is mandatory.
Addressing reporters outside Parliament, he stressed that users retain full autonomy; those who do not wish to use the app are free not to register, and they may also delete it at any time.
"If you want to activate it, do so. If you do not want to activate it, don't. Delete it if you wish. It is entirely your choice," said the minister.
Scindia emphasised that misinformation should not overshadow the app's consumer-protection benefits, noting that the platform has contributed to preventing financial frauds amounting to Rs 22,800 crore in 2024.
"Opposition doesn't have any agenda (mudda), and they want to find out agenda (mudda). We can't help the Opposition," Scindia said.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued directions requiring manufacturers and importers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on devices sold in India to enhance consumer awareness and curb the circulation of duplicate or tampered IMEIs.
Developed under the Telecom Cyber Security framework, Sanchar Saathi supports users on both Android and iOS platforms, enabling verification of device authenticity and reporting of suspected fraud, thereby strengthening India's broader telecom-cybersecurity ecosystem.