On Day 2 of the Winter Session, tensions escalated outside Parliament as Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly criticised the government’s reported move to direct smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile handsets. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, she labelled the step “a snooping app,” raising serious concerns about citizens’ privacy and democratic freedoms.
“It is a snooping app. It’s ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy,” she said, arguing that people must be free to communicate with family and friends “without the government looking at everything.” She added that there is “a very fine line between reporting fraud and seeing what every citizen of India is doing on their phone.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On DoT's directions to pre-install Sanchar Saathi App on mobile handsets, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, "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,… pic.twitter.com/k4n0boFPTr
— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2025
Priyanka Gandhi further accused the government of attempting to “turn the country into a dictatorship in every form,” pointing out that Parliament is not functioning because the government “is refusing to talk about anything.” According to her, “A healthy democracy demands discussion,” but the ongoing deadlock reflects a breakdown in communication inside the House.
While acknowledging the importance of cybersecurity, she stressed that it “doesn’t give an excuse to go into every citizen’s telephone,” noting that citizens would not be comfortable with such intrusion.
The remarks added to the already heated political atmosphere as Day 2 of the Winter Session continued amid disruptions and ongoing standoffs between the government and the Opposition.
