Reports of US NSA`s spying of BJP `extremely disconcerting`: MEA

New Delhi: India on Tuesday termed as "extremely disconcerting" the reports that the ruling-BJP was spied upon by the US` NSA and said, if true, the matter will be taken up with the US as it was "totally unacceptable" that an Indian organisation or Indian individual`s privacy was transgressed upon.

The Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said previously that "when information trickled down to us," the issue was raised with US both here and in Washington with the "concerned authorities". "...We will follow the same process because it is totally unacceptable that an Indian organisation, Indian individual`s privacy is transgressed upon, if that is correct," he said. "At this stage... I have not seen these reports. But our view is pretty clear that it is extremely disconcerting that privacy laws in India are undermined whether it is individuals or organisations," he said. BJP figures in the list of foreign political parties along with Lebanon`s Amal, Egypt`s Muslim Brotherhood and the Pakistan Peoples Party on whom the National Security Agency (NSA) was given permission to carry out surveillance, says the document made public yesterday by `The Washington Post`. The document lists the 193 foreign governments as well as foreign factions and other entities that were part of a 2010 certification approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The list includes India. "These are the entities about which the NSA may conduct surveillance for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence," the paper said, citing documents provided to it by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.