It's for Apple to clarify; allegation baseless: BJP on Apple alert to some Opposition leaders

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad. File Pic

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said it is for Apple to clarify the alerts it has sent to several people, including opposition leaders, about "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and rejected the allegations against the government as "baseless and false", reported news agency PTI.

Party leader and former Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that instead of levelling allegations against the government, these leaders should take up the matter with Apple and file FIRs, reported PTI.

He, however, cited his experience to claim that no telephone company does something like this and goes to CERT-In, an emergency response team, first to look into the matter, reported PTI.

Asked about the opposition leaders' charge, Prasad shot back, "It is for Apple to clarify. They should file an FIR if they have any problem. Who is stopping them?"

He recalled the controversy over the alleged use of Pegasus malware to hack into the phones of certain people, including opposition leaders, and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had refused to deposit his iPhone before a committee appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the matter, reported PTI.

Several opposition leaders on Tuesday claimed they had received an alert from Apple warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and posted purported screenshots of the message on their X handles.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool Congress' Mahua Moitra, Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha, Congress' Shashi Tharoor and his party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera shared the message from Apple on X.

Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that people in his office, several party and other opposition leaders have been sent a warning by Apple of state-sponsored attackers targeting their phone, and alleged that as soon as the Adani issue is touched, probe agencies and snooping are deployed, reported PTI.

He also alleged that the government was indulging in "distraction politics" on the Adani issue, reported PTI.

During a press conference, Rahul Gandhi showed a copy of the warning e-mail received by several opposition leaders from Apple phone manufacturer about "state-sponsored attackers trying to compromise" their phone, reported PTI.

He said party leaders such as K C Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate and several other opposition leaders have got the Apple warning, reported PTI.

"We are not scared. You can do as much (phone) tapping as you want, I don't care. If you want to take my phone, I will give it to you..," he said.

"The hierarchy in the country is No. 1 Adani, no. 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and no. 3 Amit Shah," he alleged.

Narrating an old tale to assert his point, Rahul Gandhi said there used to be a king in India against whom people stood up and opposition was attacking him but he was like teflon and nothing used to affect him, reported PTI.

"After a few years, opposition people went to a rishi and said 'we keep attacking the king, people are against him but nothing happens. Rishi said the king's soul is not with him, there is a parrot in a small cottage and his soul is in that parrot," Rahul Gandhi said.

"Narendra Modi's soul is with Adani. Truth is power is in the hands of someone else. As soon as Adani is touched, intelligence agencies snooping are deployed," he said.

"Adani cannot escape, we have surrounded him. Distraction politics is taking place," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)