Pegasus row: Congress accuses govt of 'sedition'; calls BJP 'Bharatiya Jasoos Party'

Despite Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw denying the use of Israeli 'snooping' software Pegasus by the government of India, the Congress party on Monday slammed the Centre and called the matter 'seditious'. The NSO Group, an Israeli company that specialises in what experts call cyberweapons, has developed the software which is called Pegasus. 

Recently, an international media consortium report suggested that the Pegasus spyware had targeted over 300 Indian mobile numbers including that of 40 journalists, businesspersons, one constitutional authority, three opposition leaders, and two sitting Ministers in the Union government. The database of numbers that has purportedly emerged also allegedly contained those of persons such as Anand Teltumbde, Sudha Bharadwaj, Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen and Gautam Navlakha who are accused and incarcerated in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Randeep Surjewala on spy software Pegasus

After the Pegasus row was raised on Day 1 of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders in a press briefing slammed the Government of India over the Pegasus Project report. Calling the alleged use of spy software Pegasus 'sedition', Randeep Surejawala said that the Modi government has 'assassinated the constitution and the democracy'. Surjewala also said that the government of India has put national security at stake adding that they have spied on journalists and opposition leaders. 

Surjewala also went on to say that the Modi government has broken the constitutional oath and added that the spy software can be on anyone's phones, 'even on your wife and daughters'. In a bid to criticise the government, the Congress leader came out with his own full-form for BJP, calling it 'Bharatiya Jasoos Party'. 

Apart from making serious allegations against the Government of India, Surjewala demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah to tender his resignation saying that 'it all happened under his watch'. 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Pegasus 

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to her Twitter handle and wrote that if the report on the use of Pegasus is true then the Modi Government has violated Human Rights and called it dangerous for democracy. 

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Pegasus Project report

Rubbishing the Pegasus Project report, new IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw quoted the statement by NSO (the Pegasus maker) which dismissed the claims made by the media houses. The IT Minister categorically called the Pegasus Project report and the uproar over it as "sensationalism". 

"The basis of this report is that there is a consortium which has got access to a leaked database of 50,000 phone numbers. The allegation is that individuals linked to these phone numbers were being spied upon. However, the report says that: The presence of a phone number in the data does not reveal whether a device was infected with Pegasus or subject to an attempted hack. Without subjecting a phone to this technical analysis, it is not possible to conclusively state whether it witnessed an attack attempt or was successfully compromised. Therefore, the report itself clarifies that the presence of a number does not amount to snooping," the IT Minister said while reading the NSO statement before the House.

Mallikarjun Kharge on Pegasus

Not satisfied with the IT minister's clarification, apart from Surjewala, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge during the same press briefing added his voice demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the any probe on the Pegasus Project report begins. Mallikarjun Kharge also demanded an inquiry over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Pegasus Project report

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury said that all the opposition parties will come together and will raise the matter in the Parliament on Tuesday. On NSO's denial, Adhir Ranjan said that the company does not want to lose its business in India and therefore they refuted the report. Demanding the resignation of HM Amit Shah, the Congress leader called the use of Pegasus 'Infringements of the fundamental rights.' 

What is the Pegasus Project?

NSO Group - a private Israeli cybersecurity firm that developed the Pegasus software - has denied the allegations that its software targeted 50,000 phone numbers globally. The leaked database of these numbers was accessed by French non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International and subsequently shared with 16 media organisations. Indian Media reports have alleged that over 300 people, including 40 journalists were also among the targets. However, NSO has rubbished these allegations and cast doubts on the reliability of the sources.

(Image Credits: PTI/Pixabay)