*Statement of ND Gupta
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha*
21st December, 2018
I am totally shocked to see this draconian order from the Ministry of Home Affairs. This is a direct attack on every citizen’s right to privacy and in contempt of the Supreme Court’s August 2017 verdict of privacy being a fundamental right.
This lends legitimacy not only to invasion of privacy but to total breach of privacy as well. Many of the aforementioned agencies have witnessed a significant loss in credibility as they are infamous for indulging in unlawful activities at the behest of Modi government. These agencies are also known to snoop illegally and now with this order, their actions have been provided legal impunity.
This draconian order is a tool of the Modi government to undermine democracy right before upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is fuelled by the desperation from the defeat in the recently concluded state elections. Striking similarities exist between this dystopian order and demonetisation, where in Modi government unfairly, unlawfully and in the most arbitrary manner imposed diktats that subvert democracy in view of upcoming elections (UP state elections then and Lok Sabha Elections now). We will explore every possible mean to oppose this order and fight tooth and nail to reverse it. Unlike demonetisation disaster, this absolutely anti-people order will not be tolerated in the least. India is a democracy and not a dictatorship and it will not be allowed to become one because of an autocratic way of functioning of the BJP government.
