NOBODY will question the fact that unauthorized use of government or organizational machinery to keep watch on private individuals and the public has to be condemned. Two investigative websites have revealed the Narendra Modi’s confidant, Amit Shah illegally ordered surveillance of a young woman because Modi wanted it. Rajnath Singh has admitted that the order came from Modi. It is claimed that the purpose was to expose Congress dirty tricks. The defence is weak. Modi has to clarify what led to the surveillance of the young woman. Consent in this question can hardly arise. If Rahul Gandhi or a senior Congress politician had done it, Modi would have made a great hue and cry about it. The BJP would have done the same. It is up to Modi to defend himself. There can be no double standards clouding the issue.
The incident is a shocking instance of gross misuse of power and authority. Of course, it is not just a one way traffic. BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari had recently been victims of similar base tactic. Six men including three Delhi police officers have been arrested for tapping the phones of politicians, businessmen and journalists. The government has not acknowledged it but it has become common practice with very loose safeguards. Recently there had been such shenanigans in the UK which led to the collapse of Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid empire. Orwell’s Big Brother does not seem to be sheer fiction any longer. Surely the right to information does not extend to such invasion of privacy. Accountability buttressed by safeguards and legislative vigil alone can put an end to such traumatic experiences.
