Rahul Gandhi along with five of his non-political friends are mentioned on the Pegasus list
The Wire confirmed that at least two mobile phone accounts used by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were among the 300 verified Indian numbers listed as potential targets by an official Indian client of the Israeli surveillance technology vendor, NSO Group.
Not only Rahul Gandhi but the phone numbers of five of his friends were also part of that list. These acquaintances of Gandhi are not even part of politics or public affairs.
Gandhi’s phones accounts mentioned in the list are the ones he used from mid-2018 to mid-2019. They are not among those examined anymore as he no longer uses those handsets.
Gandhi told The Wire that he had received suspicious WhatsApp messages in the past – one of the known vectors for a spyware hack – and frequently changed numbers and instruments so as to make it “a little harder for them” to target him.
On Monday in the Lok Sabha, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw denied all allegations regarding the ‘Pegasus Project’ and said that it was an attempt to malign our democracy and its well-established institutions.
“A highly sensational story was published by a web portal last night. Many over-the-top allegations were made around this story. The press reports appeared a day before the monsoon session of Parliament. This can’t be a coincidence. In the past, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp. Those reports had no factual basis and were denied by all parties. Press reports of 18 July 2021 also appear to be an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.” he said.
He added, “With checks and balances in place, illegal surveillance is not possible.”
The Indian list of 300 “verified” numbers includes those used by “ministers, opposition leaders, journalists, the legal community, businessmen, government officials, scientists, rights activists and others, the investigative project revealed.
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