"Minister's words are hollow": Congress' Karti Chidambaram demands withdrawal of Sanchar Saathi app directive

New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Wednesday demanded that the government's latest directives on the Sanchar Saathi app be withdrawn in their entirety, or else the statements made by the Union Minister will hold no significance.
The remarks of the Sivaganga MP as the Union Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Wednesday, reiterated that the Sanchar Saathi application can be deleted from mobile phones and will not be operational until the user registers on it.
Speaking to ANI, Karti Chidambaram said, "If it is not mandatory, then why are they insisting that the manufacturers pre-load the app? Until the directive is withdrawn, the minister's words are hollow."
Addressing the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Scindia refuted the speculation around snooping after the Centre passed a directive to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app in mobile handsets.
Replying to a question by Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, the Union Minister said, "I want to keep all the facts in front of the nation. We have one billion (mobile) users, but there are elements who use it in a negative manner. It is the government's duty to keep the citizens safe. The Sanchar Saathi portal was started in 2023 with this in mind, and the app was brought in 2025. We decided to give a choice to all the citizens. If the app is on your phone, it does not mean it will operate automatically. Till the user registers in the app, it will not operate."
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has mandated that the mobile handsets must have the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application readily visible and accessible to end users at the time of first use or device setup, and its functionalities must not be disabled or restricted, the Ministry of Communications said in a statement Monday evening.
Sanchar Saathi is an initiative of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to empower mobile subscribers, strengthen their security and increase awareness about citizen-centric initiatives of the Government.
On Tuesday, the Opposition leaders flagged concerns over the directive, calling it a move to breach privacy, while Scindia maintained that the activation of the Sanchar Saathi app on mobile handsets is not mandatory, and it is fully up to the consumers to use it or delete it like any other app. (ANI)