China snoops on Indian politicians including 5 PMs, two dozen CMs

At least 1,350 Indian politicians from across 36 states and union territories were snooped by the Overseas Key Information Database (OKIDB), which has been developed by the Shenzhen information technology firm with links to the Chinese government and the Communist Party, reported The Indian Express.

Not just from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), politicians cutting across all ideologies were present in the database, the report said.

At least two former Presidents, late Pranab Mukherjee and late APJ Abdul Kalam, five former PMs, late Rajiv Gandhi, late PV Narasimha Rao, late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, HD Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh or their close associates are among the politicians who are in the OKIDB.

The database also reportedly has 40 former and current CMs including Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, late Jyoti Basu, Manohar Parrikar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi, Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, actors-turned politicians Anupam Kher, Hema Malini, Moon Moon Sen, Paresh Rawal and late Vinod Khanna are also present in the OKIDB.

While 200 each members are present in the database from BJP and Congress, a meaty number of politicians from Left parties including CPI, CPI-M, Forward Bloc are present in the database.

Following the deadly clash which broke out between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in Jun 15, New Delhi banned over 170 Chinese apps in three phases over security concerns.

Citing security concerns and leakage of data, the Indian Army in July had asked its officers to uninstall 89 apps including Facebook and Instagram from their mobile phones.