Sanchar Saathi app pre-installation sparks political uproar; AAP calls it “authoritarian” as BJP defends voter revision exercise.

The Sanchar Saathi app  must be pre-installed on all newly released smartphones within the next ninety days, according to a mandate from the national government. Opposition parties have responded sharply to this Ministry of Telecommunications initiative, calling it an infringement on the privacy of citizens.

Kejriwal Attacks the “Dictatorial” Action

AAP National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has vehemently denounced the directive. His words on X (previously Twitter) were a “brazen attack on individual privacy and liberty.”

AAP’s Principal Objections:

Absence of precedent: According to Kejriwal, no other democracy has ever tried to implement such a legislation.

No approval: According to reports, there is no mention of requesting user approval for the installation in the message.

The Modi government’s diktat to all mobile manufacturers to install Sanchar Saarthi app on all new and existing phones is a brazen attack on individual privacy and liberty. No democracy in the world has ever attempted to do so.

The notification issued by the government has no…

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 2, 2025

No Removal Option: After the software is installed, users are not given the option to remove it.

“The Modi government’s directive to mobile manufacturers to install the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app on all new and existing phones is a flagrant attack on people’s privacy and liberty,” said AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calls for the prompt retraction of this notification and denounces such authoritarian measures.

Voter List Revision: A Political Standoff (SIR)

Concurrently, the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters has sparked a verbal sparring match between the AAP and BJP.

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“Rigging In The Name Of SIR” is one of the AAP’s accusations.

Alleging countrywide manipulation, the Aam Aadmi Party has questioned the revision exercise’s transparency and goal.

Voter Profiling: According to AAP Delhi State Convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj, the SIR is only being used to determine the addresses of voters.

Election Manipulation: According to Bharadwaj, the BJP plans to utilize this information to target voters and entice them to cast ballots at home by providing “free train tickets and money.”

“Fear Of Losing Illegal Voters” is the BJP’s response.

These allegations have been refuted by the BJP, with State President Virendra Sachdeva calling the AAP’s remarks “regrettable.”

AAP leaders are referring to the people of Bihar as “freeloaders,” which Sachdeva called an insult, by suggesting that voters are influenced by free tickets.

Echoing Opposition: He charged that Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj, the leaders of the AAP, were only repeating the Congress party’s views.

Removal of unlawful Voters: According to Sachdeva, the AAP’s true concern is that during the revision, the names of Rohingya, Bangladeshi, and other unlawful voters will be struck off Delhi’s electoral record.