Mamata Banerjee sets up inquiry commission to probe Pegasus row, ahead of PM meet

After chairing a special cabinet meeting, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that the state government has formed an inquiry commission to look into the alleged snooping of key political figures using Israeli spyware Pegasus. Banerjee's decision comes amid allegations that her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and her poll strategist Prashant Kishor were potential targets of snooping during the high-stakes West Bengal elections. Also, the West Bengal CM is scheduled to visit Delhi for 2-3 days and will meet PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and key leaders from the opposition. 

Mamata announces inquiry into Pegasus

"Under the leadership of Senior Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur and ex-Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court, Jyotirmay Bhattacharya, we've initiated the commission. They will monitor illegal hacking, monitoring, surveillance, recording mobile phones etc," said Banerjee.

Reacting to the probe, BJP I-T chief Amit Malviya tweeted, " Why are we even surprised that Mamata Banerjee has constituted a judicial commission to investigate bogus “Pegasus Project”? Her priorities have always been warped. If only she had shown such alacrity to probe post-poll violence and investigate several Covid scams in Bengal".

Mamata sounds poll bugle for 2024

On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sounded the poll bugle for the 2024 General Assembly Elections hitting out at the BJP govt over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Pegasus snoop gate. Leaders from several parties like TMC, Congress, Samajwadi party, RJD attended her virtual rally in Delhi. Buoyed by sweeping 213 of 294 seats in the Bengal Assembly, TMC is mulling projecting Mamata Banerjee as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Incidentally, Banerjee lost her own election at Nandigram and needs to be re-elected to the Assembly by November to stay as CM.

Raising the Pegasus snoop gate allegations, Mamata Banerjee claimed that the entire Opposition, agencies, media houses, and judiciary were being spied by the BJP which had put 'democracy in danger.' "The democracy is in danger. I don't know what will happen in 2024. Our phones have been tapped. They don't allow people to live peacefully and their dictatorship is too much. I can't talk to Sharad Pawar ji, Chidbamdaram ji, Shiv Sena CM, my phone will be tapped," she said.

Pegasus row

A report by sixteen media houses claimed that 300 verified Indian mobile telephone numbers were allegedly spied upon using Israeli surveillance technology firm Pegasus - which only has 36 vetted governments as its clients. As per a 'leaked' database, numbers of those allegedly spied upon include over 40 journalists, three major opposition figures, one constitutional authority, two serving cabinet ministers, current and former heads, and officials of security organizations and businessmen. The target also includes the eight activists currently accused of the Bhima Koregaon case. The report claimed that the leaked numbers mainly belong to ten countries - India, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Centre has refuted all allegations, while Opposition has sought an SC probe into it.