Digital India exposed: Mamata on journos’ A/CS being hacked

KOLKATA: Expressing concern over reported hacking of accounts and bank details of some journalists, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said it was an attempt to silence dissent and questioned the Modi government’s propaganda to “go digital”.

“Seeing reports about hacking journalists’ accounts & bank details. This is not about public interest. It’s about violating privacy. It is an attempt at intimidating and silencing voices,” she said in a statement.

“Government says ‘go digital’ and promises us it is safe. If it’s so safe, how are journalists’ bank account details being made public for millions by hackers?

“Digital India stands exposed, Modi babu,” she said.

Banerjee also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about how many more lives would be lost in the country in the wake of the demonetisation move.

“How many more lives will be lost for Modi babu?” Banerjee said on a social media website while retweeting a post by Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O’ Brien.

Earlier, TMC national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’brien had tweeted a list of 95 people who he said had died while standing either in queues at banks or ATMS or allegedly committed suicide due to cash crunch after demonetisation.

On Sunday, Banerjee had hit out at the at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his charge that opposition parties were not treading the path of honesty, saying that the “most corrupt” people were talking about eradicating corruption.

“Demonetisation (has been) done only to help Modi babu and his close associates,” Banerjee had said in retaliation for the Prime Minister’s attack on opposition parties over corruption and disruption of Parliament due to protests against demonetisation.

“The most corrupt people are talking about removing corruption,” she said, joining issue with Modi over his attack on the opposition parties earlier in the day.