Modi government is threat to people's privacy: Congress

New Delhi, Sep 22: Accusing the NDA government of trying to encroach upon the right to privacy of communication of the common people, the Congress on Tuesday said that contrary to its stated position on the information security environment, the Narendra Modi administration was monitoring the private lives of India's citizens.

"Subjugation of individual freedom, surveillance of citizen and suppression of the dissent have emerged as the DNA of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference here.

He said it was a "sinister attempt" by the central government to curb individual liberty.

"Draft policy on encryption of department of electronic and information technology (was) first circulated, then amended and now withdrawn with a rider of re-issuing it, is a totalitarian, misconceived and a failed attempt of the Modi government to override all sense of individual," he said.

He said the ban on mobile phone internet in Gujarat was an example.

"This government can't tolerate people criticising it for any of its works, and thinks that it suppresses them," the Congress spokesperson said.

Asked how the Congress views RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments on reservation, he said the RSS and the BJP have always had a negative approach towards the scheme for the downtrodden sections of the society.

The Congress leader also accused the central government of misusing the CBI, saying it was being used as a tool against the government's opponents.

On the upcoming Bihar assembly election, Surjewala said the Congress was ready and its list of candidates would be released soon.

IANS