New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday criticised the government's directive to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi App on mobile handsets, questioning the government's intentions.

He compared the move to North Korea's surveillance practices, citing Kim Jong Un's regime.

Akhilesh Yadav told reporters, "What does the govt want to search in everyone's phones? Is the government following the path of North Korea's Kim Jong Un?"

Meanwhile, BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here that the app's job is to provide security for users.

"Sanchar Saathi app cannot read your messages, it cannot listen to your calls, and it cannot breach your personal data. Its job is to provide security for users, stop f...