Pegasus Row: Congress calls for Shah's resignation, probe against PM

Slamming the central government over the Pegasus spyware issue, Congress demanded the sacking of Home Minister Amit Shah and a probe into the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter.

New Delhi: Pegasus controversy dominated the Indian politics on Monday despite the first day of monsoon session of parliament and the issues related to price rise, farmers protest, and the economy slowdown. According to a sensational revelation made by an international media house, big names from opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi, head of defence and intelligence institutions, Journalists, media houses, former election commissioner, renowned election strategist, and even a few union cabinet ministers were in the list whose phones were continuously under surveillance reportedly through the Pegasus software developed by Israeli defence agency NSO.

As the issue was raised in the parliament, newly appointed Union Minister for IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the parliament that the issue was of no substance and also raised questions over the timing of the so called revelation.

Reacting on Vaishnaw's statement Congress General Secretary and national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala produced the copy of reply made in parliament by former IT minister Ravishankar Prasad in which he had admitted that there were 121 names from India in the Pegasus infected list and that government of India had issued a notice to NSO regarding the matter.

After reacting on IT Minister Vaishnaw's statement, Surjewala raised six questions before the Modi government over the issue of Pegasus spyware. In his first question he asked if spying on India's security forces, judiciary, cabinet ministers, opposition leaders, journalists and other activists through a foreign entity's spyware not 'treason' and inexcusable breach of national security.

Surjewala also alleged that the government has been running this spying work before 2019 general elections. Raising another question, Surjewala asked if government was aware of the illegal purchase and deployment of Pegasus since March April 2019, what was the reason of their silence on the matter. The Congress General Secretary through his question demanded a full investigation of the role of Prime Minister, Home Minister and others involved in 'Pegasusgate'.

Congress calls for judicial probe into Pegasus snooping

Speaking to ETV Bharat, spokesperson of Indian National Congress Brijesh Kalappa called the spyware snooping "a direct attack" on India's democratic system. "All the pillars of democracy including the judiciary, legislature and the press have been compromised," Kalappa said.

"This is the most diabolic attack on India democracy, so far," he said and added that the snooping row must be investigated only by the judiciary Kalappa.