Pegasus: Parl panel meet put off due to ‘lack of quorum’

New Delhi, July 28: A parliamentary panel meeting that was set to question government officials on Wednesday on the Pegasus spyware issue was postponed due to lack of quorum.

A number of members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, sat in Parliament to discuss ‘Citizens safety and date protection’.

However, BJP members of the panel who were present in the meeting room didn’t sign the attendance register in protest leading to a lack of quorum required for holding the meeting.

Even though the meeting did not take place, the gathering of BJP and Opposition members led to a drama as the ruling party MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra has called him a “Bihari Gunda”.

Dubey, in a tweet tagging TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleged that Moitra’s comments show her party’s attitude towards the people of Bihar and the Hindispeaking parts of the country.

Moitra denied the charge saying Dubey was not even present in the meeting.

“Am a bit amused by charges of name-calling. IT meeting did not happen because no quorum — members did not attend. How can I call someone name who was not even present!! Check attendance sheet!” the TMC MP tweeted.

The panel’s chair Tharoor had said the panel members will question officials from the information and technology ministry and the home ministry who will depose before it on the Pegasus issue. —