New Delhi: Political parties take discipline seriously, especially during elections, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra has drawn attention for the way in which it is enforcing it. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, The Times of India reported on October 25, warned party leaders and workers during a Diwali address that their phone calls and WhatsApp conversations were "under surveillance". He reportedly said, "Every word you speak is being monitored. A single wrong button on your phone can destroy the next five years for the party."

Bawankule later clarified that he had been referring to WhatsApp groups and messages related to the party's work, being sent on official channels, the newspaper said. The clarification followed criticism from Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who described the comments as illegal monitoring and called for the minister’s arrest.

The surveillance allegedly conducted by Bawankule's party have often caused controversy, be it the allegations of using Israel-imported Pegasus spyware to hack journalist and activist phones, or the steady encroachments into citizen privacy through changes to the Information Technology (I-T) Act, Income Tax Act, etc., while simultaneously curbing citizens' right to know, through laws like the so-called Digital Privacy and Data Protection or DPDP Act.

Nevertheless, it is rare for a minister to make surveillance or snooping by his own party the subject of a Diwali address – even calling it necessary for the party's future and for the state's development. In all other instances, the BJP has defended itself against the charge of violating privacy or permitting surveillance, either by citing necessity or maintaining silence – even in the top court – as happened in the Pegasus case.

Also read: CCTV Surveillance Is Rising in India, World, but Crime Rates Remain Unaffected

"Sometimes, workers or office-bearers who are upset about not getting a ticket create a scene or express anger. But now, if anyone rebels, the doors of leadership will be shut for them," Bawankule said, the ToI reported. "Don't let a careless message or wrong click harm the development work being done under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and prime minister Narendra Modi," he reportedly said.

The controversy has erupted in the run-up to the Mumbai local body polls, which are long overdue and the dates for which are likely to be announced soon.

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