Kochi: Communist Party of India-Marxist MP John Brittas has raised serious questions over the Narendra Modi government’s decision to transfer the management of official email services, including those of Parliament, from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to the private firm Zoho Corporation.

Pointing out that no complaints about NIC’s performance have come from MPs, including those from the ruling BJP, Brittas has red-flagged the need for such a major change and asked whether the move implies that NIC is no longer considered competent enough.

In an exclusive conversation with Mathrubhumi English, Brittas disclosed that MPs were informed about the migration in early September, with the deadline for transition set for the end of the month.

“All major operations have been efficiently handled by NIC so far. I checked with the officer overseeing Kavach Authentication, a highly secure system under NIC’s management (to understand government’s logic),” he said.

“If modernisation or other improvements were the goal, NIC should have been equipped to implement those upgrades. There has been no indication of any failure on their part,” he added.

He highlighted the robustness of the Kavach app which is so secure it even triggers alarms if accessed from abroad.

While clarifying that he does not oppose private companies, Brittas emphasized his concern about removing such a critical government communication system from a secure, government-controlled environment.

“Many MPs may have already switched without fully understanding the risks involved in this technological shift,” he warned.

Adding a political dimension to the issue, Brittas pointed out Zoho’s leadership’s public alignment with the Modi government on several occasions. “That might have influenced the decision to select Zoho,” he suggested.
Concerns over confidentiality, institutional independence

In a letter to Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Brittas had on September 17 flagged the “serious risks” to confidentiality and public interest posed by handing over the operational backend of government email systems to a private company. He objected to relegating NIC, a trusted custodian of government communication networks responsible for data sovereignty and institutional integrity, to a minor role.

“First time that such a core government email service has been placed under private management,” he warned.

Brittas has sought a ‘full and transparent disclosure’ of the process by which Zoho Corporation was given the mandate, along with guarantees that the confidentiality of parliamentary communications and legislative independence will be strictly protected.

Government cites modernisation, but key questions remain

“The government seems to be justifying this transition on grounds of modernisation, scalability, and cyber security. But the larger question remains unanswered -- can the custodianship of the government’s communication systems, including those of Parliament itself, be routed through a private entity without undermining institutional independence?”

With reports indicating that around 50 lakh government email accounts will be moved to Zoho, concerns about potential misuse, surveillance, or partisan influence have grown louder. Brittas urged the government to clarify what independent audits, security safeguards, and legal protections are in place to prevent political or corporate interference in sensitive communications.