Rahul Gandhi in US: My phone is being tapped
Senior Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi, while speaking to entrepreneurs on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States (US), claimed that at one point he knew that his phone was being tapped. Gandhi reportedly spent the first half of his day with Silicon Valley-based startup entrepreneurs renowned for their groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies.
Why does this story matter?
It's worth noting that this is not the first time the grand old party leader has alleged that his phone was tapped. Speaking at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom in March this year, the former Congress president alleged that the Indian government used Israeli spyware Pegasus to spy on him and many other political leaders in the country.
Hello! Mr. Modi: Gandhi's sarcastic dig
During the course of his conversation, Gandhi jokingly picked up his phone and said, "Hello! Mr. (Narendra) Modi." "I presume my iPhone is being tapped. You need establish rules with regard to privacy of data information as a nation and also as an individual," Mint quoted the former Congress as saying.
Not a battle worth fighting: Gandhi
Furthermore, Gandhi stated, "If a nation-state decides that they want to tap your phone, no one can stop you. This is my sense." "If the nation is interested in tapping the phone, then this is not a battle worth fighting. I think whatever I do and work is available to the government," added the Congress party leader.
Gandhi talks about spreading technologies in India
The Congress leader also attempted to establish a connection between all technologies and their impacts on the common man in India's remote villages. "If you want to spread any technology in India, you have to have a system where power is relatively decentralized," said Gandhi. He also shared his experience of drone technology and its regulation, which, according to him "faced massive bureaucratic hurdles."
Details on Gandhi's US visit
Gandhi is currently on a 10-day visit to the US, where he will meet with students, lawmakers, and other notable figures in New York, Washington, and San Francisco. He arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday and will spend Thursday and Friday in Washington DC. After his time in the country's national capital, Gandhi will spend Saturday and Sunday in New York before flying back.
