A massive row erupted on Tuesday after several Opposition leaders claimed they received an alert from Apple, warning them of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones. They alleged hacking by the government, a charge rejected by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who assured a thorough probe.

Vaishnaw said the “compulsive critics” are engaging in the politics of “distraction” because they could not tolerate the country’s progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for IT, pointed out that similar “threat notifications” were sent to people in over 150 countries by Apple. “Our government is committed and duty-bound to protect the privacy of our citizens, and we take this responsibility very seriously. The government will investigate these threat notifications as well as Apple’s claims of being secure and privacy-compliant devices,” he posted on X.

Those who received such notifications included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate, and T S Singhdeo; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, and some aides of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also received the notification. Additionally, reports suggest that the list included some journalists, which comes as a shock and serves as a stark reminder of the Pegasus snooping row.

Chaturvedi and Moitra, who were among the first to flag

the issue, have demanded a probe.

Responding to the development, iPhone-maker Apple  said it is possible that some threat notifications may be false alarms and that some attacks may not be detected. However, the company refused to disclose what triggered the warnings received by the Opposition leaders.

“Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it is possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously,” it stated.

Addressing a press conference on the issue in Bhopal, Vaishnaw said the government takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and “will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications.”

“In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state-sponsored attacks,” Vaishnaw said.

Raising the issue at a press conference at AICC headquarters, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked the Modi Government. “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.

Rahul accused the Government of indulging in “distraction politics” on the Adani issue, which the Opposition has accused of creating monopolies in various sectors in the country.

Moitra stated in a social media post that she will write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, “requesting he follow Raj Dharma to protect Opposition MPs and summon Home Ministry officials on the issue of phones/email being hacked. Privileges Committee needs to take this up. Vaishnaw (IT Minister), this is a real breach you need to worry about.”

Chaturvedi also shared a similar screenshot which she claimed to have received from Apple.

Tharoor and Khera also stated that they received the same cautionary emails from Apple. Sharing the same screenshot, Khera said, “Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?”

Yechury commented that this kind of hacking and the surveillance state being set up is, in fact, a surveillance state under the Modi Government, which is part of the ongoing erosion of democracy.

Akhilesh Yadav described it as a matter of regret in a democracy, where freedom and privacy are being compromised.

The AAP alleged that the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also received the purported warning from Apple.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged targeting AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and TMC MP Mahua Moitra are signs of the BJP’s nervousness about the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling BJP rejected Opposition leaders’ allegations against the government as “baseless and false” and stated that it is up to the mobile company to explain the issue.

Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the Opposition for targeting the government without taking up the matter with Apple and challenged its leaders, who have received it, to file a criminal case (FIR).

In response to the company’s statement, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya noted that Rahul Gandhi made a “complete joke” of himself on the issue.

Prasad brought up the controversy over the alleged use of the Pegasus malware to hack into the phones of certain

individuals, including

opposition leaders, and mentioned that Rahul had refused to submit his iPhone before a committee appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate the matter.