After Pegasus, Centre trying to buy new spyware Cognyte, alleges Congress

According to Congress, the defence and intelligence officials have decided to acquire the new spyware from less exposed competitors of the NSP group, which owns the Pegasus spyware and are willing to spend Rs 986 crore on it, reports ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday alleged the Centre was trying to procure new spyware Cognyte after having purchased Pegasus spyware from Israel and termed the move as anti-democracy.

“Just like spyware Pegasus, Cambridge Analytica and Team Jorge, has the Modi government purchased a new spyware called Cognyte to snoop on media houses, civil rights activists, judiciary and institutions? The government is willing to spend Rs 986 crore on the new spyware. According to trade reports, the government is hunting for a new spyware with a lower profile than Pegasus which has been blacklisted by most countries,” Congress media head Pawan Khera said.

According to Khera, the defence and intelligence officials have decided to acquire the new spyware from less exposed competitors of the NSP group, which owns the Pegasus spyware and are willing to spend Rs 986 crore on it. “Is the Modi government in advanced stages of deliberations to finalise a new spyware. Is it true that the defence ministry has also started working on a request for proposal regarding the same,” said Khera.

The Congress leader further stated that in 2018, the party had proved the dubious link between rogue firm Cambridge Analytica and the BJP. “How CA campaigned for the BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and in five other states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra, we all know,” he said. “Recently, we exposed a team of hackers from Israel by the name of Team Jorge that was used by the BJP ecosystem to meddle in Indian elections by spreading targeted disinformation campaigns,” he said.

“The BJP government stands exposed before the nation once again for its role in the illegal and unconstitutional surveillance racket,” he said. Without taking the names, the Congress leader targeted the PM and the HM. “There are two spies in the country and they don’t trust anyone. Therefore, they use public money worth crores to buy spy software. They are doing this because they are afraid that their falsehood might be exposed,” said Khera.

“If Modiji is spending so much on spyware to snoop on people, why can’t he tell the nation to whom does the Rs 20000 cr in Adani shell companies belong?,” Khera added. The Congress leader further asked the government why did the PM or the HM or the NSA authorize the illegal spyware Pegasus earlier and who was now authorizing the new spyware Cognyte or Predator or Quadream or its replacement.

“What action should be taken against those guilty of buying and deploying illegal spyware against citizens? Are the ministers not criminally culpable and liable to be punished in terms of Sections 24, 25 and 26 of the Telegraph Act, 1885 and section 66 of the IT Act 2000,” Khera asked. The Congress leader said that a Supreme court monitored committee looking into the Pegasus case, and the former CJI had said that the government did not fully cooperate in the probe. “The probe committee report still remains sealed,” he said, adding that data of 66.7 crore Indians was found stolen, jeopardizing their right to privacy.