Data leak row: Chennithala demands CM Vijayan’s resignation

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 27 (IANS) Congress Working Committee member and senior legislator Ramesh Chennithala, who had accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of orchestrating a massive leak of personal data of over one crore citizens for alleged electoral gains, on Friday demanded his immediate resignation.

Chennithala alleged that government-verified personal details, including phone numbers, age, gender, district, ward and local body information of nearly eight lakh state government employees, 72 lakh welfare pensioners, three lakh small entrepreneurs and lakhs of women enrolled under the Women’s Safety Scheme were accessed and shared with private agencies without consent.

On Friday, he released documents, including letters purportedly issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), to claim that sensitive data from the K-SMART database and other government platforms were directed to be handed over to designated personnel linked to the IT Mission but functioning from the CMO.

According to him, the data was subsequently used to send WhatsApp messages to nearly one crore individuals between February 19 and 21 through a business account operated from the Chief Minister’s Office.

He termed the move “completely illegal and unconstitutional,” alleging it amounted to a grave invasion of privacy.

Chennithala argued that the alleged data transfer violated the landmark 2017 Supreme Court judgment in the Justice K.S. Puttaswamy case, which upheld privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.

He further contended that provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, had been breached, particularly those relating to consent-based data processing.

Drawing parallels with the controversial Sprinklr data sharing episode during the Covid period, he claimed the present move reflected a similar pattern of handing over citizen data without adequate safeguards, but this time for “political purposes”.

He also questioned a recent government order empanelling multiple private agencies to expand IT operations weeks before elections, calling the timing “deeply suspicious”.

Warning that such data exposure could enable cyber fraud and misuse, especially against vulnerable women and pensioners, Chennithala demanded a comprehensive investigation and criminal proceedings against those responsible.

The Chief Minister’s Office has not yet formally responded to the allegations, which are set to intensify the political battle in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

–IANS

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With a statewide vote share projection of 48.4 per cent translating into 147 to 167 seats, the NDA maintains a commanding lead in four out of five major regions, while the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) struggles to retain ground, particularly in Seemanchal.

In Mithilanchal, comprising 71 seats, the NDA is projected to secure 50 to 55 seats with 47.7 per cent of the vote, leaving the MGB with 18 to 23 seats on 36.5 per cent. The region, known for its cultural and linguistic identity, shows consistent support for the ruling alliance.

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Angika, covering 30 seats in the eastern part of the state, also leans heavily towards the NDA, projected to take 20 to 23 seats with 47.9 per cent vote share, against the MGB’s 7 to 10 seats on 37.1 per cent.

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Across Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies, the NDA’s regional dominance is near-uniform outside Seemanchal, where vote consolidation among Muslim and backward communities appears to have bolstered the MGB.

The exit poll, conducted between November 6 and 11 through random sampling and CATI methods with a sample size of 66,087, carries a margin of error of 3 per cent. The survey highlights the NDA’s broad-based appeal across Angika, Bhojpur, Magadh, and Mithilanchal, driven by development narratives and governance continuity.

In contrast, Seemanchal remains a pocket of resistance for the ruling parties, underscoring persistent regional fault lines in Bihar’s electoral landscape. Final results, expected in the coming days, will confirm whether these projections hold.

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Practising naturopathy, yoga true tribute to Mahatma Gandhi: Prataprao Jadhav

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“Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong advocate of naturopathy,” said Jadhav while delivering the keynote address. He urged citizens to adopt this system of medicine in their daily lives.

Calling everyone to imbibe Gandhiji’s “timeless ideals of truth and non-violence”, he added: “Practising naturopathy and yoga is the real tribute we can offer to the Father of the Nation”.

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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Ayush concluded the Swachhata Hi Sewa 2025 campaign with a special ‘Swachhotsav’ procession on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

The march, led by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, began from Ayush Bhawan and culminated at INA Metro Station, in the national capital, symbolising collective action for a cleaner India. The event also included floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi Ji, honouring his timeless vision of cleanliness and selfless service.

The Swachhata Hi Sewa 2025 initiative, jointly organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, was observed in the Ministry of Ayush from September 17 to October 2.

The fortnight featured targeted cleanliness drives in office premises, basements, parking areas, and lawns, conducted under the campaign ‘Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’, a Preventive Health Check-up for Safaimitras at AIIA, and outreach with street food vendors to spread awareness about hygiene and waste disposal.

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BJP MP cites declassified records to target Congress over post-1962 foreign policy

New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has once again cited historical records to criticise the Congress party’s handling of foreign affairs, alleging that India’s global standing suffered significantly in the aftermath of the 1962 war with China.

Citing classified documents, Dubey claimed that no country was willing to align with India after the military debacle in 1962, exposing the frailty of Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy.

“Understand the state of foreign policy during the time of the revered Nehru Ji, the pioneer of the Congress Party’s foreign policy. After the 1962 war with China, no country was ready to align with India,” Dubey wrote in a post on X on Friday.

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Addressing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi directly, Dubey said, “Rahul Baba, make your party aware of the country’s plight during the Gandhi family’s time through a proper lesson. Daily humiliation is not right,” he said.

This is not the first time Dubey has invoked archival material to take aim at the Congress.

In an earlier instance, he cited a decades-old letter allegedly written by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to his Chinese counterpart. Dubey claimed the letter revealed a tone of submissiveness and helplessness.

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