Oppn continues heat on Pegasus

Disrupts LS, RS; calls for SC-monitored probe

The Pegasus snooping issue continued to rock Parliament for the second day of the Monsoon Session as the Opposition members disrupted the proceedings in both Houses. After failed efforts to pacify members in the Lok Sabha, the Speaker adjourned House proceedings for the day while the Rajya Sabha managed to have a discussion on the Covid situation in the country despite repeated adjournments. Both Houses will resume on Thursday after a day’s break due to Id-ul-Zuha on Wednesday.

The Opposition on Tuesday stepped up its attack on the government over the alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for “snooping into a number of phones of Opposition leaders, journalists, activists and numerous others” and demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Opposition also demanded the sacking of the Union home minister Amit Shah.

The Congress accused the government of “treason” and held Mr Shah responsible for the snooping and hacking of phones and demanded a probe into the “role of the Prime Minister” in the entire matter as well. The demand for a probe came from the Opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, NCP, Left parties, RJD and the Shiv Sena.

The government has strongly denied the allegations. The BJP hit back at the Congress and claimed that “there is not a shred of evidence” to link either the ruling party or the Narendra Modi government with the issue.

The Opposition members displayed placards in the House which said while people are suffering from unemployment, the government is busy with “jasoosi” (spying). Some Congress members held placards on Rahul Gandhi’s name appearing in the list of potential targets of snooping.

Hitting out at the government, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal sought an inquiry by at least three sitting judges on the issue and demanded that the government come out with a white paper on the subject.

The Congress alleged that phone numbers linked to the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka were possible targets for surveillance in 2019, at a time when the ruling coalition collapsed and the B.S. Yediyurappa-led BJP took power, The Wire news portal said in the latest revelations on the Israeli spyware Pegasus. Key numbers were allegedly selected when the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led government was battling a huge crisis after a rebellion by MLAs.