CPI MP moves privilege motion against Vaishnaw
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha MP and senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Binoy Viswam has filed a privilege motion against Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stating that he “deliberately misled” the parliament when questioned about the alleged purchase and use of Pegasus spyware in India.
The notice comes days after a report in the New York Times which stated that Israeli military grade spyware Pegasus and a missile system were the “centerpieces” of a roughly $2billion deal, among the sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear exchanged between India and Israel in 2017.
“Despite the government’s repeated attempts at hiding the truth, numerous pieces of evidence have been made public that point towards the government’s purchase of Pegasus spyware.
The New York Times report is the latest on the list. As a matter concerning grave allegations of snooping that violate Constitutional rights and safeguards, the Minister’s deliberate attempt to mislead the Members of Parliament constitutes a breach of privilege,” Viswam alleged.
HT has seen a copy of the notice.
The Rajya Sabha ethics committee will seek a response from Vaishnaw. After a decision is made on the matter, two weeks will be given to challenge the motion, otherwise it will be considered closed.
HT reached out to Vaishnaw’s office but did not receive a response immediately.
Speaking in Parliament on July 19, Vaishnaw had countered reports that emerged last year suggesting India used Pegasus to infiltrate phones of journalists, activists, Opposition leaders and ministers.
He said the reports were nothing but an “attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions”, with home minister Amit Shah slamming those “amplifying” the reports for “humiliating India”.
Vaishnaw, who was making his first speech as the new IT minister at the time, had said that the “highly sensational story” has made several “over the top allegations” but there is “no substance behind them”.
His statement came barely minutes before he was named as one of the ministers who had been targeted, according to an investigation by a consortium of media houses in including The Guardian, The Washington Post, and India’s The Wire, that said Pegasus was used to target potentially thousands of people around the world.
“It is not a coincidence that the reports have been published a day before the monsoon session of Parliament,” Vaishnaw had said. “In the past, similar allegations were made about WhatsApp but there is no factual basis to these and have been categorically denied,” he added.
On Sunday, the Congress had claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled government had “hijacked democracy” and duped the Supreme Court. The party has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter and initiate appropriate penal proceedings against the government for attempting to “deliberately and knowingly deceive” it.