New Delhi: Amid the Sanchar Saathi application row, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling and asserted that the government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days.
Responding to questions on the issue outside Parliament, Tharoor said, “I have not studied the issue in detail but common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them.”
“Making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling. But I need to look more into the logic of the government. The government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order that the media reports. We need to have a discussion where the government explains what is the thinking (behind this),” the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
“For me I think an app that helps us to locate our phones, all of that, is not a bad idea, provided it is voluntary. If I feel the need for something I can download that app, If I don’t feel the need for it I shouldn’t have to download it. It is true for all of us. It is common sense. Why it is being made compulsory that the government has to explain,” the Congress leader said.
