Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 2: Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia strongly rebutted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s criticism of the Centre’s Digital India programme, terming his remarks as misleading and out of touch with current realities.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mr Scindia countered Kharge’s allegations with data and sharp words, suggesting the Congress leader "try a basic web search" to revisit the telecom scams during the UPA regime. “What you'll find is a list featuring Congress/UPA-led crony capitalism at its best,” he wrote, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had transformed the telecom sector from "scam-ridden" to globally recognised for its rapid technological strides.
Mr Kharge had earlier alleged that the Modi-led government made “false claims” about the progress of BharatNet, the performance of BSNL, and rising cybercrimes. He also accused the Centre of weakening the RTI Act under the new Data Protection Law.
Responding point by point, Mr Scindia said BharatNet is very much active, with over 2.12 lakh Gram Panchayats connected so far, in stark contrast to just 58 connections under 10 years of UPA rule. He pointed out that BSNL, once languishing due to mismanagement and neglect, has now posted profits in two consecutive quarters for the first time since 2007 — Rs 262 crore and Rs 280 crore, respectively.
“When the UPA left office, BSNL was on life support — crippled by the 2G scam and devoid of investment,” Mr Scindia remarked, adding that targeted reforms and indigenous innovations have put the PSU back on track.
Scindia also highlighted that India has achieved the fastest 5G rollout in the world, connecting 99% of districts and 82% of the population in just 22 months. In contrast to Kharge’s claim of BSNL falling behind, the minister asserted that over 90,100 4G towers have been installed using Atmanirbhar Made-in-India technology.
Touching on cybersecurity concerns, Scindia listed steps taken under initiatives like Sanchar Saathi and ASTR, including the disconnection of over 3.5 crore mobile numbers, blocking of 4.22 crore fake SIM cards, and securing of 34 lakh lost devices.
While Kharge raised the issue of unfinished BharatNet targets and questioned BSNL’s debt despite multiple revival packages, Scindia dismissed the claims as lacking context, asserting that the current government’s approach was one of revival and reform—not bailout.
As the political spat intensifies, the Digital India mission remains at the heart of the debate, with both parties offering sharply contrasting narratives.