New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) The Congress alleged on Thursday that the new income-tax law helps tax officials have access to the e-mail, social media and bank accounts of all assessees, which will lead to India becoming a surveillance state.

Congress spokesperson and the head of the party's social media department, Supriya Shrinate, said this is a warning for everyone as e-mail, social media, bank and trading accounts are under an attack now.

"They spied on us with Pegasus. Now, they'll take away our personal lives altogether. Under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's new income tax law, the government is quietly giving tax officials the power to break into your digital life. No warrant, no notice -- mere suspicion is enough to strip you of your privacy. This is surveillance. And we must all oppose it unequivocally," the Congress said from its official X handle.

Shrinate, in a post on X, said, "Warning: Your email, social media, bank and trading accounts are under attack." "The new income tax law allows tax officials unrestricted access to your emails: read your private conversations; your social media: monitor your posts, messages and interactions; your bank accounts: track every rupee you earn and spend; and your trading accounts: watch your investments and financial moves.

"They need NO proof to do so, just suspicion. A government with unchecked power. The Modi government with that has been misusing agencies to silence critics and crush Opposition will now do this: harass and intimidate citizens, settle political scores by targeting opponents, weaponise tax department to destroy reputations and lives. This is nothing but surveillance. Will you just stay silent or look the other way?" she asked.

The Congress leader said this is a warning for everyone as the government will very soon have access to citizens' e-mails, social media accounts, bank accounts, financial transactions and trading accounts, because the new income-tax law proposes that tax officials should have access to the same.

She said the tax officials can read private conversations, have access to bank accounts and get to know about the amount earned by someone and how the money is spent. They can also have access to people's trading accounts to know about their investments.

"This is nothing but the government trying to enter our lives surreptitiously. This is nothing but the government trying to take control through backdoor entry. This is nothing but the government trying to make India a surveillance state and I am not fine with it.

"Because we have already seen how driven by vendetta politics this particular government is. They weaponise the ED, CBI and income-tax (department) not just against their political opponents, (but also) to crush activists, students and anybody who has a difference of opinion with it," Shrinate said in a video message along with her post on the microblogging platform.

She said she is not fine with tax officials having access to e-mails, social media and bank accounts, because this is going to lead to unnecessary harassment and intimidation.

"This is going to lead to weaponisation of the agencies and this will also lead to assassination of reputation and lives and I am certainly not fine with this. This will lead to a surveillance state and if you are someone who values their privacy, it is time for you to speak up. Because the tax officials are going to do this not on the basis of proof but on the basis of simple suspicion," the Congress leader claimed. PTI SKC RC

Unrestricted digital access by tax officials may enable surveillance and weaponisation of accounts based on mere suspicion. The new income tax law is alleged to permit tax officials administrative access to taxpayers' e mail, social media, bank and trading accounts on mere suspicion, allowing reading of private conversations, monitoring of posts and tracking of financial transactions and investments; this removal of procedural safeguards risks intrusive monitoring and potential weaponisation of agencies for harassment, intimidation and reputational harm.