Cornered, Modi govt trashes Pegasus report

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 19

The report of the alleged use of spyware Pegasus to snoop on journalists, politicians and other personalities generated much political heat on Monday with the government dismissing the issue as “sensationalism” and the Opposition seeking the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah and an inquiry against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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The issue resonated inside and outside Parliament. Opposition parties, including the Congress, disrupted both Houses and demanded a probe.

ON SNOOP LIST

• Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new IT Minister, Railways Minister, Minister of State for Jal Shakti
• BJP leader Vasundhara Raje’s PS when she was CM of Rajasthan
• Sanjay Kachroo, who worked as OSD to Smriti Irani when she was Union Minister in 2014-2015
• VHP’s Pravin Togadia, an opponent of Modi from his CM days
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
• Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa
• Poll strategist Prashant Kishor
• TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee
• Numbers belonging to SC staffer (had accused ex-CJI of harassment)
• Assn for Democratic Reforms
• Top virologist Gagandeep Kang
• Hari Menon, India head of Gates Foundation

In a statement in the Lok Sabha, Union Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw questioned the timing of the report and said illegal surveillance was impossible with checks and balances in place.

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He flagged some chinks in the Pegasus story, while reiterating his predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad’s statement when the issue first surfaced in Parliament last year.

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The IT Minister told the Lok Sabha that the report’s timing — a day before the session — could not be a coincidence. “There is no substance behind this sensationalism,” Vaishnaw informed Parliament, arguing three points: “The publisher of the report states that it can’t say if the phone numbers on the published list were under surveillance; the company whose technology was allegedly used has denied these claims; the time tested processes in our country are well-established to ensure that unauthorised surveillance does not occur”.

• 300 verified Indian numbers listed as ‘potential targets’ for surveillance (2017-2019)

After the Congress demanded Shah’s resignation, with Rahul Gandhi alleging breach of privacy, the Home Minister dismissed the Pegasus report as a “conspiracy”.

Shah said, “Aap chronology samajhiye. This is a report by the disrupters, for the obstructers. Disrupters are global organisations that do not like India to progress. Obstructers are political players in India, who do not want India to progress.”

The Opposition vowed to again raise the issue in Parliament, with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Randeep Surjewala in a joint statement asking the government, “Is spying on security forces, judiciary, ministers, Opposition leaders, journalists and other activists through a foreign spyware not treason and inexcusable breach of national security?”

Amid the political storm, another report today alleged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, election strategist Prashant Kishor, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa and head of Association of Democratic Reforms Jagdeep Chokkar were among the targets of spying.

Earlier at a press conference, former IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed the worldwide expose by 16 media houses had been done “deliberately to disrupt the session and create a baseless agenda”.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge said accountability was a must. “Before a probe, Shah should resign and an inquiry be conducted against the PM,” he demanded.