Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Modi government of endangering national security by concealing the extent of foreign surveillance through Chinese CCTV cameras and digital platforms, while the Centre maintained it has taken multiple steps to strengthen cybersecurity and data protection.
"This is a deliberate conspiracy to keep India in the dark," he said in a post in Hindi on Facebook.
Rahul said the government recently banned the public use of Chinese CCTV cameras.
"Yet, Chinese cameras remain installed inside government buildings. Banned Chinese apps are resurfacing under changed names. Foreign AI platforms are processing sensitive data. And the government has absolutely nothing to say about this," he said.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he had raised these concerns with the Ministry of Electronics and IT in Parliament.
"The response offered plenty of verbiage, but provided no answers to the specific questions asked," he claimed.
"From which countries did our cameras originate? How many of them are certified from a security point of view? Which foreign AI platforms are processing government data? Which banned apps continue to operate under altered names? The ministry's response contained no figures, no answers -- not even the name of a single platform," Rahul said.
The Congress leader further alleged that despite earlier acknowledgements of risks, the government has not clarified whether current surveillance systems are secure.
"By attempting to cover up its own failures and conceal the reality of foreign surveillance, the Modi government is putting the security of every single citizen at risk," Rahul said.
Rahul had asked an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on March 25, to which Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada responded that the government is aware of cybersecurity risks linked to digital technologies.
"In last 12 years, numerous efforts have been made to strengthen India's digital ecosystem, outlined below," Prasada said.
He outlined several measures related to the "use of technology for espionage", including steps to secure telecom networks, strengthen legal frameworks for data protection, and improve CCTV system security.
The minister said telecom networks remain a critical component of digital infrastructure. "In 2021, the government undertook a decisive step to implement the National Security Directive on Trusted Sources. It ensures that telecommunication equipment only from the trusted sources is deployed in the telecom networks in the country."
"The government has strengthened the legal framework pertaining to network security and data protection. The government has notified the Telecommunication Act, 2023, containing extensive provisions for security of telecommunication networks in the country and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, containing legal framework to ensure protection of personal data," he said.
On CCTV security, Prasada added, "The government has undertaken major reforms for strengthening the security of CCTV systems and notified the mandatory Essential Requirements required for CCTVs in the Indian market."