Pegasus paralyses Parliament, TMC MP suspended for rest of session
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Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 23
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The Pegasus snooping row disrupted Parliament for the fourth straight day with Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen suspended from the Rajya Sabha for unruly behaviour. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated Opposition uproar over the issue leading to adjournments for the day.
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Rahul Gandhi, Cong
My Phone tapped
My phone was tapped. This is not a matter of Rahul Gandhi’s privacy, it’s an attack on the voice of people.
In the Rajya Sabha, where Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu’s appeal to refrain from disruptions fell on deaf ears, the government motion to suspend Sen was adopted by a voice vote amid Opposition queries as to why it was not listed in the day’s business. Sen had yesterday snatched and torn up IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s statement in the Rajya Sabha rejecting the snooping charges.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, BJP
Submit it for probe
No one’s phone is tapped illegally. We will wait for Rahul to submit his phone for probe.
The Lok Sabha also witnessed disruptions before the final adjournment post noon. The Congress, TMC, Left, DMK, NCP, RJD, BSP and other major Opposition parties continued their protests on the Pegasus issue both inside and outside Parliament.
Demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah and a judicial probe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today termed the alleged use of Pegasus spyware on some Indians as treason.
Mehbooba Mufti, PDP President
Subverting rights
The Centre has gone rogue and is brazenly subverting basic human rights.
Rahul claimed his phone was tapped, a charge to which the BJP’s Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the Congress leader should submit his phone to investigation agencies. “My phone was tapped. This is not a matter of Rahul Gandhi’s privacy. This is an attack on the voice of people. Pegasus was used against the Supreme Court and to scuttle the Rafale investigation,” Rahul reiterated, demanding a judicial inquiry by the Supreme Court conducted on PM Modi as “no one else can authorise the use of Pegasus.”
Rathore said the law of the land prevailed in India and no one’s phone was tapped illegally. “If anyone has any doubt that some agency is doing it illegally, he or she can complain and lawful action will be taken,” he said, adding: “We will now wait for Rahul Gandhi to submit his phone for investigation to proceed.”
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