INDIA'S opposition vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva has alleged that politicians’ calls are being monitored by the ”Big Brother”, in an apparent reference to the government. Alva had earlier said she has been unable to make or receive calls after she spoke to some ”friends in the BJP”.
Since then, Alva alleged, calls to her mobile were being diverted and she was unable to make or receive them. ”The fear that ’Big Brother’ is always watching & listening permeates all conversations between politicians across party lines in ’new’ India. MPs & leaders of parties carry multiple phones, frequently change numbers & talk in hushed whispers when they meet. Fear kills democracy,” she said in a tweet.
On Monday (25) night, she posted another tweet addressed to the two government-owned telecom companies. ”Dear BSNL/ MTNL, After speaking to some friends in the BJP today, all calls to my mobile are being diverted & I’m unable to make or receive calls. If you restore the phone. I promise not to call any MP from the BJP, TMC or BJD tonight,” she said. Alva will be pitted against former West Bengal governor Jagadeep Dhankhar for the post of vice president.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, which governs West Bengal, has announced it will abstain from the election which will be held on August 6, a decision that Alva disagreed with saying ego and anger should be avoided. The TMC decided to abstain from voting saying it was not consulted before Alva's candidature was finalised.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images
