Apple Alert: Is INDIA Alliance ready for combat against Modi?

The opposition alliance is again in trouble and unable to sustain the challenges thrown by Prime Minister Modi. Here, the specific reference to the Prime Minister is deliberate because the Bhartiya Janata Party is now synonymous with his name. The party has lost its independent identity and completely submerged its identity into the brand Modi. This has led to the fact that the BJP of today has not remained a political party of this sort. No decision-making process is worth the name, and two people—Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah—take every decision. Similar is the situation with the cabinet. The duo makes the decision, and others have to follow. The Foreign Minister, the Finance Minister, the Defense Minister, or others are even barred from speaking to the media or announcing any decision. The Prime Minister is so obsessed with his image that he goes on inaugurating train or metro services every other day. Obsession has gone beyond its limits since a RapidX train was renamed Namo Bharat on the eve of its inauguration.

What Prime Minister Modi is doing to the opposition is only part of his overall political behavior. He does not believe in dialogue and reconciliation, nor does he believe in answering a political question in a democratic language. The opposition parties have joined hands against the Modi government and wish to throw an electoral challenge at the ruling party. What is new in it? This is an essential ingredient of democracy. What is another way the opposition can adopt in a parliamentary democracy?

However, the Prime Minister is not taking up these challenges politically and considers every criticism personal. The most worrying aspect of his political behavior is that he considers the opposition parties enemies of the country. We do not know whether he feels so or if he paints the scenario in this fashion. Whatever the case, this is ominous. In a democracy, no one is above criticism. When the ruler tries to impress upon the people that he or she is a nation, this is a sign of dictatorship. In a democracy, no one should be allowed to carry with him or her such assumptions. It is essential for the smooth running of democracy that every single allegation from the opposition is responded to as per the norms, keeping in mind that the opposition is an equal partner in governance. Prime Minister Modi is not ready to accept it. The allegations against him are that he is promoting cronyism and that the Adani group has monopolized industry and commerce in India under his patronage. Instead of responding to the allegation, he is trying to silence every single leader who speaks against the Adani Group. The latest victim is Mahua Moitra. Her criticism of Adani is being answered by implicating her in a ‘cash for query’ case in which she is alleged to have asked questions in parliament for a bribe. The way the Ethics Committee is handling the case has come under controversy after Moitra alleged that the committee asked personal questions. The enraged lawmaker walked out of the proceedings. Some members of the committee also boycotted the proceedings. The visuals of her coming out of the meeting only confirm the fast-losing credibility of the parliamentary process. Perhaps this was the first time the chairman of a parliamentary committee came out and commented about the largely confidential proceedings of the committee.

There is another case of the erosion of the sanctity of institutions. The Chief Minister of Arvind Kejriwal was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate, which he chose not to comply with. By chasing the opposition leaders during elections, the central agency has completely lost its credibility. The arrest of two ED inspectors by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau has exposed another aspect of the ED's actions. The ED officials were caught red-handed while taking a bribe for not arresting the accused of a Chit Fund scam. How could an institution with these vulnerabilities act impartially? It is prone to both political pressure and bribery temptations. However, Prime Minister Modi and his team rely only on central agencies to achieve their political goals.

The alert from the Apple iPhone company has alarmed the country. The company has alerted over two dozen political leaders and journalists that their mobile phones are being hacked by ‘State-sponsored hackers’. The targets of hacking include Mahua Moitra, Shashi Tharoor, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Shrinet, and Siddhartha Vardarajan.

The alert says, “State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a State-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone.”

The government is evasive as usual. Its response reminds us of the Pegasus controversy. Even the Supreme Court intervention proved to be ineffective. No one knows who purchased the software or how it was used. Though the government ordered a probe of the alert, it dismissed the opposition’s claim and accused them of not being comfortable with the progress of the country.

Apple has indicated that a huge amount of money is involved in the hacking. The way the government has been using central agencies only strengthens apprehension of the government’s going to any extent to silence dissenting voices.

Are opposition parties able to put forward a matching response to these tactics of intimidation and coercion? The answer is negative. The INDIA alliance has failed to put up a united resistance on the issue. Though Rahul Gandhi heavily blamed the government, others also issued statements. Can it be called sufficient?