Report Claiming JDS-Cong Leaders Targeted with ‘Pegasus’ in 2019 Shocks Parl. Then This Happened
Manjil Das, INN/Chennai
Twitter-@SGiggle29 @Infodeaofficial
The second day of the Monsoon session was as turbulent as the previous one, when the debate on the spying Pegasus resulted in many disturbances on the Lok Sabha before the day had been adjourned.
The news that in 2019 Pegasus may be spying against the politicians of Karnataka before the Congress-JD(S) Govt overturned the House and a couple of tough Opposition replies were revealed.
Congress Requests JPC Proof
Congress on Tuesday intensified its attack on the Pegasus spying line against the administration and called for a sample by a Joint Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. The opposition party and other parties also halted operations in both parliamentary chambers as they raised the matter. Opposition MPs generated outrage in both chambers and called for a comprehensive investigation of accusations of eavesdropping using Israeli Pegasus spyware against journalists, politicians, ministers, judges and others. Congressman Shaktisinh Gohil said the administration need to make it public if it has or has not acquired the spyware Pegasus and held a parliamentary test jointly.
Adityanath Launches a Barrage of Attacks on the Opposition
Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, slammed the opposition parties for creating a “negative environment” in the state “over the Pegasus spying issue and asked that they apologise, causing a tense climate in the country and slowing Parliament operations. The BJP leader further said it was due of the “negative attitude” during a news conference here “The Opposition claimed that it did not enable problems affecting ordinary people to be discussed in Parliament.
The TMC Promises to Keep Disrupting Parliament
Trinamool Congress leaders issued an adjournment notice after the name of the party’s Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee appeared on a list of possible hacking targets. The Trinamool Congress announced on Tuesday that it will continue to interrupt Parliamentary sessions until the administration admits to snooping and monitoring using the Pegasus malware and the issue is discussed in both Houses. However, the party stated that it will not stop talking about the coronavirus or any aspects of it. ‘This (Pegasus spyware) is a significant problem for which the TMC will not make concessions. Neither House will run until the government is clear on spying and surveillance accusations. At a time when the government faces a pandemic,’ millions have been invested on telephoning. TMC stated Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.
Gujarat Chief Minister Charges Opposition of Having a ‘Anti-National Mentality’
On Tuesday, President of Gujarat Vijay Rupani acknowledged the Congress and other opposition parties as having been toying with foreign powers and showing “the national attitude” by generating a dispute over the Pegasus spyware problem in order to illustrate the image of India. An international media consortium said on Sunday that more than 300 confirmed cell phone numbers, including two ministers, more than 40 journalists, 3 opposition figures and a judge, as well as many businessmen and activists in India, might have been targeted at spyware hacking.
Delhi Congress and IYC Protest for Judicial Inquiry
Leaders and workers of the Delhi Congress held a demonstration on Tuesday in the vicinity of BJP HQ to call for a legal investigation into the use of Pegasus spyware against journalists and politicians. The Delhi Congress President Anil Kumar protestors marched to the neighbouring BJP offices to raise chants and bring signs from their DDU Marg party office.
Kapil Sibal Demands a SC-monitored Investigation
Former IT minister and senior Congress politician Kapil Sibal requested on Tuesday a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the Pegasus eavesdropping case, as well as a government white paper in Parliament specifically declaring whether or not the Israeli spyware was employed by it. In response to Shah’s remark, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated, “We are learning the timeline, I want to tell to Amit Shah ji ‘Aap iski chronology samajhiye (You should grasp the chronology of this problem), this was done between 2017-2019.”
Rajasthan Cong Demands PM Modi’s Inquiry
The Rajasthan Congress urged on Tuesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah be fired over the Pegasus snooping scandal, while party leader Govind Singh Dotasra sought an investigation into Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The Supreme Court should undertake an investigation into the situation. While speaking to media, Dotasra requested that Home Minister Amit Shah be fired and that an investigation into the involvement of the Prime Minister be done.
Amit Shah had already launched a blistering assault on the Congress for exaggerating the Pegasus issue to paint India in a negative light on the international stage.
The claims regarding the deployment of Pegasus software were revealed on Sunday as part of a worldwide investigation by the Washington Post, the Guardian, and 14 other media outlets, including India’s The Wire.
