Pegasus: Cong. reaches out to Didi ahead of her Delhi visit

In what appears to be a new political equation on the horizon, the Congress on Sunday reached out to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supporting her claim that her MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly snooped upon by the BJP government at the Centre with Israeli spyware Pegasus.

The Congress sent the message of solidarity to the Trinamul Congress supremo a day before she flies to New Delhi on a four-day visit and is expected to meet key opposition leaders to discuss the formation of a united front against the BJP.

Banerjee will also meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 28 apparently to push for a speedy passage of her government’s Vidhan Parishad plan in both the houses of the parliament and dispatch of more Covid-19 vaccines from the Centre to her government among other issues.

This will be the TMC chief ’s first meeting with Modi after the brief one on May 28 on Cyclone Yaas devastation which triggered a huge controversy about protocol violation by her and the then state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

Posting a photo of Banerjee’s nephew on its Twitter handle in the afternoon, the Congress stated, “PM Modi took the adage, ‘keep your enemies closer’ a little too far. #PegasusSnoopgate”

Attacking the BJP, it added, “AAP CHRONOLOGY SAMAJHIYE. TARGET OF PEGASUS SPYWARE. WHO? ABHISHEK BANERJEE NEPHEW OF MAMATA BANERJEE. WHEN? 2021. WHY? WEST BENGAL ELECTIONS. MODI GOVT’S INSECURITIES ARE ENDLESS.”

Reading the message in between the lines, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien retweeted it promptly with a hashtag KhelaHobe.

The Congress’ signal to Banerjee came close on the heels of her call on July 21 for a united opposition front against the BJP.