The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop telecom department officials from attending a conference organised by Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. The group sent a letter to Modi, alleging that the officials would violate service rules by attending the event, Hindustan Times reported. The conference will be held in China on Thursday and Friday, according to India Today.
The right-wing organisation urged Modi to rely on indigenous technology and pointed out that the Chinese company was facing sanctions in several countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia and South Korea, among others.
“Instead of adhering to the highest standards of integrity required in the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, which also enjoin officials to protect the security and integrity of India, the entire top echelons of DoT [Department of Telecommunications] are attending a conference paid for by Huawei, which together with other Chinese telecom companies, faces outright bans/severe restrictions,” read the letter written by the group’s National Co-Convener Ashwani Mahajan. “Even in India the operations of Huawei are not beyond suspicion, and are never investigated thoroughly.”
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch warned against the entry of Chinese telecom giants in India, alleging they were “killing opportunities for our indigenous players”. The letter also stated that Chinese companies, including Huawei, allegedly underbid on projects and work closely with the Chinese government, which could potentially be a security risk for other countries, India Today reported.
The organisation requested Modi to intervene, saying it “would produce bad optics” and lead to severe complications in the decisions made by the Indian government.
Several countries have expressed fears of China using Huawei products to conduct surveillance. However, the company has denied these allegations. In January, a minister in Poland had said the country was considering the introduction of a legislation to limit the use of the company’s products after a Huawei employee was arrested in Warsaw on spying charges. The United States blacklisted the company in May but then granted it a 90-day reprieve.
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