Snooping row: Rijiju demands apology from Cong for 'hurting India's image'

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday lashed out at the Congress party, saying no agency can snoop on citizens and that misinformation is being spread to hamper the country's image and security.

This comes amid reports of BJP-led Central government giving a free hand to 10 agencies to intercept information on computers.

The MoS, also sought an apology from the Congress party in the connection and asserted that the latest Home ministry notification was an initiative to enable Internet service providers to help in serious cases of uploading of child pornography and jehadi contents.

Taking to his twitter handle Rijiju underlined that his government has implemented the rules framed by the Congress in 2009.

"No agency can snoop on citizens. Rules framed by UPA Government in 2009 have been put by MHA in public domain to prevent misuse by unauthorised persons, agencies or service providers. And to enable ISPs to help in serious cases of uploading of child pornography and jehadi contents," he tweeted.

"Congress should apologise to the nation for terming Orwellian State. Not a single word is added or deleted but MHA has simply notified the rules which were made when P. Chidambaram was the Home Minister," he added.

The issue came to fore after Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad on the floor of the house alleged that "undeclared Emergency has taken final shape" and "all federal agencies have been let loose".