Apple alert row: BJP counters opposition tirade by showing 'George Soros' link

Even as the Opposition on Wednesday (November 1) sought to corner the government over the Apple alert issue with TMC MP Mahua Moitra writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding the messages received by several MPs, some other leaders demanded a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for IT to examine the issue.

The BJP slammed the Opposition's contention and indicated a link between “George Soros-funded Access Now” and iPhone notifications, saying there was “no surprise” that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi dropped everything and rushed to hold a press conference on it.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and CPI(M) MP John Brittas wrote to the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for IT and urged him to hold a meeting of the panel over the matter, sources said.

Demand for Parliamentary Standing Committee meet

In a letter to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology chairperson Prataprao Jadhav, Chidambaram, also a panel member, urged him to call all those people who have got the alerts from Apple as also representatives of the firm at the meeting, they said.

In his letter, Brittas has also asked Jadhav to convene an urgent meeting of the panel to "examine" the recent threat notification messages.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who is a member of the panel, said the parliamentary panel on IT cannot take up the matter.

Under the rules of the Lok Sabha, the investigation into Apple's warning to its subscribers comes under the jurisdiction of the central government, while their iPhones can be checked by state police for further verification of allegation, Dubey said in Hindi on X.

Panel chief Jadhav, who is in his constituency in Maharashtra, said he has no information so far and the panel would act on the issue if anyone flags the matter.

Mahua Moitra leads the charge

TMC MP Moitra, in her letter to Birla, said “illegal surveillance by the government” is the worst attack on fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

On Tuesday (October 31), several opposition leaders including Moitra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, AAP's Raghav Chadha, Congress' Shashi Tharoor and his party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury claimed to have received alerts from Apple about “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones.

They posted purported screenshots of the message on their respective X handles.

In her letter to Birla, Moitra said opposition leaders received a message that they were “being targeted by state-sponsored attackers” who were attempting to remotely compromise the devices and access their data, communications and "even the camera and microphone".

“This threat is doubly shocking in light of the Pegasus software (sold only to governments) that was used to compromise the devices of various members of the Opposition, dissenting journalists and members of civil society during 2019–2021. Honourable Shri Abhishek Banerjee, MP, National General Secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress, the party I represent in Lok Sabha, was one of the targets. In spite of the opposition raising this issue in the House, no debate was allowed and no conclusive report has been filed by any agency,” she said.

“We are representatives of the Parliament of India, the largest democracy in the world. This illegal surveillance by the government using software available only to state actors, is the worst attack on our fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of our great democracy,” she further said.

Moitra called on Birla to immediately provide protection to opposition leaders.

“You, sir, are the proverbial keeper of the faith, the guardian of the Lok Sabha and the ultimate parent to each of its members. It is in this capacity that I ask you to immediately provide us the protection required for us to continue doing our duties as a vibrant opposition which is to question and hold to account the ruling dispensation,” she added.

Chidambaram recalls the Pegasus mystery

Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram also reacted on the matter, saying that after the Pegasus mystery, the finger of suspicion points to a government agency.

“It is undeniable that hundreds of Opposition leaders got an alert from Apple of a state-sponsored attempt to compromise their phones. Why only Opposition leaders? Who will be interested in compromising the phones of Opposition leaders,” the former Union home minister asked. “After the Pegasus mystery (not resolved until this date), the finger of suspicion points to a government agency. At the moment it is only a suspicion," the senior Congress leader said.

BJP IT cell chief links it to George Soros

Tagging Chidambaram's post, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said, “You were the Home Minister when former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office was bugged. Does this ring a bell, Mr Chidambaram?” Malviya also shared a thread by a netizen posted on X and said it was an “interesting thread that draws a link between George Soros-funded ‘Access Now’ and Apple notifications, supposedly received only by Opposition leaders”.

“It is therefore no surprise that Rahul Gandhi dropped everything and rushed to hold a press conference. See the sinister plot here?” Malviya said.

The thread “details the network George Soros funded ‘Access Now’ has built in India. Notification received (from Apple) by the usual suspects in Opposition ranks also refers to Access Now. Only if you believe in fairy tales, would you think it is all a coincidence…,” the BJP leader claimed.

Former Union minister and Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal hit out at the government over the issue and said that it must answer whether it has bought any spyware since 2014.

iPhone maker Apple’s denial

Reacting to the alerts issue, iPhone maker Apple Inc said on Tuesday (October 31) that it does not attribute threat notifications, such as the ones received by some MPs belonging to opposition parties, to any specific state-sponsored attackers.

It is possible that some threat notifications may be false alarms and some attacks may not be detected, it said.

The government has ordered an investigation by CERT-In into the opposition leaders' claims.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday (October 31) that Apple has been asked to join the investigation with real and accurate information on the alleged state-sponsored attacks.

(With agency inputs)