Modi govt trying to make India surveillance state through new I-T law: Congress

The Congress alleged on Thursday that the new incometax law helps tax officials have access to the email social media and bank accounts of all assessees which will lead to India becoming a surveillance stateCongress spokesperson and the head of the partys social media department Supriya Shrinate said this is a warning for everyone as email social media bank and trading accounts are under an attack nowThey spied on us with Pegasus Now theyll take away our personal lives altogether Under Prime Minister Narendra Modis new income tax law the government is quietly giving tax officials the power to break into your digital life No warrant no notice mere suspicion is enough to strip you of your privacy This is surveillance And we must all oppose it unequivocally the Congress said from its official X handleShrinate in a post on X said Warning Your email social media bank and trading accounts are under attackThe new income tax law allows tax officials unrestricted access to your emails read your private conversations your social media monitor your posts messages and interactions your bank accounts track every rupee you earn and spend and your trading accounts watch your investments and financial movesThey need NO proof to do so just suspicion A government with unchecked power The Modi government with that has been misusing agencies to silence critics and crush Opposition will now do this harass and intimidate citizens settle political scores by targeting opponents weaponise tax department to destroy reputations and lives This is nothing but surveillance Will you just stay silent or look the other way she askedThe Congress leader said this is a warning for everyone as the government will very soon have access to citizens emails social media accounts bank accounts financial transactions and trading accounts because the new incometax law proposes that tax officials should have access to the sameShe said the tax officials can read private conversations have access to bank accounts and get to know about the amount earned by someone and how the money is spent They can also have access to peoples trading accounts to know about their investmentsThis is nothing but the government trying to enter our lives surreptitiously This is nothing but the government trying to take control through backdoor entry This is nothing but the government trying to make India a surveillance state and I am not fine with it Because we have already seen how driven by vendetta politics this particular government is They weaponise the ED CBI and incometax department not just against their political opponents but also to crush activists students and anybody who has a difference of opinion with it Shrinate said in a video message along with her post on the microblogging platformShe said she is not fine with tax officials having access to emails social media and bank accounts because this is going to lead to unnecessary harassment and intimidationThis is going to lead to weaponisation of the agencies and this will also lead to assassination of reputation and lives and I am certainly not fine with this This will lead to a surveillance state and if you are someone who values their privacy it is time for you to speak up Because the tax officials are going to do this not on the basis of proof but on the basis of simple suspicion the Congress leader claimedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever