New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday slammed the Department of Telecommunications' directive to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new mobile handsets, calling it "Orwellian" and warning that the government will now "pry into the private lives of every citizen" and is "replicating Russia".

Speaking to ANI, Karti Chidambaram said, "It is Orwellian...The government will have access to and pry into the private lives of every citizen. This government is replicating Russia. I am sure there will be a lot of pushback."

Congress MP KC Venugopal alsoy criticised the government's directive, calling it "an attack on privacy."

Speaking to ANI, Venugopal said, "It is an attack on privacy. This is what it seems to be....