NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that Apple had warned him and other opposition leaders and members of his office that state-sponsored hackers were aiming for their phones. He also said that snooping and investigation agencies are brought in as soon as the Adani issue is brought up. In relation to the Adani issue, he also claimed that the government was engaging in “distraction politics”. Gandhi displayed a copy of the email that the manufacturer of Apple phones sent to a number of opposition leaders warning them about “state-sponsored attackers trying to compromise” their phones during a news conference.Party chiefs like Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate, K C Venugopal, and a number of other opposition leaders, he claimed, had received the Apple warning. “We don’t feel afraid. I don’t mind if you tap on the phone as much as you like. I will give you my phone if you would want to have it,” he said. “The hierarchy in the country is No. 1 – Adani, no. 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and no. 3 Amit Shah,” he said. Gandhi made his point by recounting an old story. He said that there once was an Indian monarch who was attacked and resisted by the people, but he was unaffected by anything and held firm. “We keep attacking the king, people are against him, but nothing happens,” the opposition people stated to a rishi after a few years. Gandhi stated, “The king’s soul is not with him; it is in a parrot that lives in a little cottage,” according to Rishi. “Adani has the soul of Narendra Modi. The fact is that power is not with you. Intelligence organisations start spying on people as soon as they come into contact with Adani,” he claimed. Adani is encircled by us, so he cannot flee. Distraction politics are happening,” he declared. On Tuesday, a few opposition figures shared the alleged screenshots on their X accounts, claiming to have received warnings from Apple alerting them to “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones. The message from Apple on X was posted by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress, Raghav Chadha of the Aam Aadmi Party, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, and Pawan Khera, head of his party’s media and publicity department. Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI(M), too got a similar communication. contacted Apple for a reaction on the issue, but they did not receive one right away. “I got a text and email from Apple alerting me to the possibility that the government is attempting to access my email and phone. @HMOIndia obtain a life. I feel sorry for you because of Adani and PMO’s bullying; I shared the screenshots with Moitra. “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” read the warning that the MPs posted. According to Apple, state-sponsored attackers are attempting to remotely compromise the iPhone linked to your Apple ID. Because of who you are or what you do, these attackers are probably specifically aiming their attacks at you. A state-sponsored attacker may be able to remotely view your private information, conversations, and even the camera and microphone if they manage to breach your smartphone. It said, “Please take this warning seriously, even though it may be a false alarm. Amit Malviya of the BJP responded to the opposition leaders by writing on X, saying, “It’s all well and good for regular suspects to stir up a ruckus over a’state sponsored’ attack and act like martyrs. However, this whole mess will probably end up as damp squib, just like it has in the past!”Why not hold off till Apple provides clarification? Or is it too much to pass up the chance to infuriate?”
