NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday targetted the Central government over the Pegasus spyware issue, asking that why it is afraid to discuss the matter in the Parliament.
"Why Modi-Shah are afraid to discuss Pegasus in Parliament? Legitimate snooping for internal security or drug-related crimes or against any criminal is acceptable but are we not giving access to all the information to NSO and the Israelis?" tweeted Singh.
"I had raised this issue in Rajya Sabha in 2019 which the then IT Minister skipped from answering my queries. I have again given Notice to RS for discussing Pegasus today. I hope Modi and Shah agree for full discussion. After all it is an urgent matter of national security," said the Congress leader.
Singh further alleged that the Central government is not concerned about national security and hiding the issue.
"If the Pegasus' host Nation's new Israel Prime Minister has ordered a full probe why is Modi-Shah duo hiding? Are they not concerned about national security? Mark Zuckerberg, would you please ask your dear friend Narendra Modi to help you in your case against NSO? Otherwise what was the big "Bear Hug" for?" he added.
The Opposition is attacking the Centre over the Pegasus Project Media Report issue. Since the commencement of the Monsoon session last week, the functioning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has been disrupted by the ruckus over the issue.
The Congress party has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the issue.
The development came after the names of several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, activists and 40 Indian journalists appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware, according to reports published in The Wire.
Speaking on Lok Sabha on June 19, the first day of the Monsoon session, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that it is an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.He had said that in the past too, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp and those reports too had no factual basis and were denied by all parties.The Minister also asserted that any form of illegal surveillance isn't possible with "checks and balances in our laws and robust institutions."