I am an Indian and knowing our Prime Minister, I can believe this is true. The problem doesn't end there, though. India's political system is unlike the American one, where the President has powers. In our case, the PM cannot or doesn't call all the shots. There are other entities and bureaucrats that actually hold the power. And I can vouch that they do use cell phones and emails.

This is another foot in the mouth comment from @PMOIndia and nothing else !

The real issue is not government officials, but the People.

Governments can spy on each other as much as they want, they have the consultants, experts and money to protect themselves accordingly.

The citizen, on the other hand is often very poor, illiterate or at least has no clue about how tech works and what it can do to them and their right. They need protection from "third parties" (neutral and non-corrupt entities).