‘Don’t weaponise issues to stall Parliament,’ says Kiren Rijiju as Priyanka Gandhi calls Sanchar Saathi a ‘snooping app’

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday pushed back against the Opposition’s criticism of the Sanchar Saathi app, urging parties not to create unnecessary disruptions in Parliament and reiterating that the government is “open to debate on all issues”.

Rijiju told reporters that the Opposition did not need to “dig out issues”, noting that the list of business for the Winter Session already includes a range of matters for discussion. “We will have a debate on the issues raised by the Opposition as well… They don’t need to find new issues and disturb the Parliament,” he said.

He added that while every concern has merit, using them as a tool to halt proceedings is “not right”. “We are not belittling their issues… but there are many issues in the country, not just one,” he said, adding that he remains in touch with Opposition leaders.

The response came after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi called the Sanchar Saathi app a “snooping app”. She said citizens have a right to privacy and accused the government of turning the country “into a dictatorship in every form”. She also alleged that the government was refusing to allow discussions in Parliament. “There’s a fine line between reporting fraud and seeing what every citizen is doing on their phone,” she said.

Congress leader KC Venugopal also criticised the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) order mandating pre-installation of the app on mobile phones, describing it as a “dystopian tool”. Citing George Orwell’s *1984*, he posted: “Big Brother cannot watch us,” calling the directions unconstitutional and alleging that users’ movements and interactions would be tracked.

As per the DoT’s November 28 directive, manufacturers must ensure the Sanchar Saathi app is visible and cannot be disabled on new devices, while existing handsets will receive it via software updates. Compliance must be completed within 90 days.

The Telecom Ministry said the move aims to curb non-genuine phones, simplify reporting of telecom misuse, and improve the Sanchar Saathi initiative. The app allows users to verify handset authenticity via IMEI, report stolen devices or fraudulent calls, check mobile connections linked to their ID, and access verified bank and financial institution contacts.

*With Agency inputs