You are trying to create a surveillance state, Opp says after Modi Govt's interception order

New Delhi, 22 Dec 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: The Opposition parties on Friday accused the Modi government of trying to create a "surveillance state" after Union Home Ministry authorised ten central agencies to intercept information from any computer, a move that the government defended saying it was based on rules framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

As soon as the Rajya Sabha reassembled at 2.30 p.m Friday after an earlier adjournment, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue of interception order issued by the Union Home Ministry on Thursday. His party colleague Anand Sharma also joined in raising the issue.

They slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the BJP government to convert India into a "surveillance state" by resorting to "snooping", inviting a sharp response from the ruling party

In a strong defence of the government order, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and in the interest of national security, dubbing the opposition's criticism as a "text book case" of speaking without any homework. The Centre also rejected the opposition's charge of snooping, according to PTI.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that converting India into "police state" won't solve his problems and it only showed he is an 'insecure dictator'.

"Converting India into a police state isn’t going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It’s only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are", Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

The opposition parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the order.

"The order is unconstitutional", CPI-M chief Sitaram Yehcury said while talking to reporters outsidethe Parliament.