New Delhi: The Opposition party on Saturday attacked Centre, only a day after the Pegasus report in The New York Times reveled the Indian Government had bought Israeli spyware Pegasus in 2017 as part of a $2-billion package for weapons including a missile system. Leaders said the use of Pegasus amounted to “treason”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged the Modi government bought the spyware to snoop on the primary institutions of Indian democracy as well as the public. “The Modi government bought Pegasus to spy on the primary institutions of our democracy, state leaders and the public. The ruling party, the opposition, the army, the judiciary, all have been targeted by tapping their phones. This is treason. The Modi government has committed treason,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Why did Modi Govt act like the enemies of India and use a warfare weapon against Indian citizens?
“Illegal snooping using Pegasus amounts to treason. No one is above the law and we will ensure that justice is served,” he Kharge added.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged the spyware was used not for defence purposes, but to snoop on opposition leaders and journalists. “If there is BJP, it is possible. They have made the country into a Bigg Boss show,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.
“Indian taxpayers’ money used for snoop and surveilling Indians! Hard earned money used to turn the country into one massive Big Boss studio just to monitor its own countrymen. This tech could have been used to ensure neighbouring nations do not occupy our territory but alas!,” she added.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil alleged the “revelations” in the report showed that the government “misled” the Supreme Court and Parliament on the issue.
“Why @narendramodi is silent? It is @PMOIndia’s duty to clarify. New York Times revelations today that It did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers money of ? 300 crores to spyware Pegasus sold by Israeli NSO company,” he tweeted. “This implies our Govt misled Supreme Court & Parliament.”
Quoting the report, Youth Congress chief Srinivas B V said “Hence Proved! Chowkidar Hi Jasoos Hai..”
The year-long investigation, The NYT reported, also revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had bought and tested the spyware “for years with plans to use it for domestic surveillance until the agency finally decided last year not to deploy the tools.”
A global consortium of media groups had revealed in July 2021 that the spyware had been used by several governments around the world to snoop on opponents, journalists, businessmen etc.
The Indian leg of the investigation, conducted by The Wire, had reported that among the potential list of targets were Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, political strategist Prashant Kishor, the then Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, now Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (who was not the minister than), along with several other prominent names. The list also mentioned numbers of around 40 journalists, including three editors of The Indian Express — two current and one former.
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