Pegasus row: After Nitish, Jitan Ram Manjhi demands probe; cites Parliament disruptions

Echoing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, another NDA ally - HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday, demanded a probe into the Pegasus snooping row. Stating that the issue was affecting Parliament, Manjhi stated that keeping present circumstances under mind, the nation must know who had spied on citizens. Centre has refuted all allegations on the issue in Parliament.

Manjhi bats for probe into Pegasus

Nitish: 'Truth must come out'

In a surprising move, on Monday Bihar CM Nitish Kumar backed the demand for a probe into the snoopgate controversy. Speaking over the issue, the Bihar CM said that there is nothing wrong in conducting an inquiry into the allegations of the Pegasus snoopgate row. This remark from Nitish Kumar comes amid JD(U) and BJP's differences on a host of issues - caste-census, NRC, love jihad, cattle protection, population control policy and now Pegasus row.

"We don't know who does what (snooping). So appropriate steps need to be taken in this regard. Nobody knows what has happened but people are talking about it in Parliament. Whatever it is - phones are being tapped or people are listening to conversations - proper investigation needs to be done and the truth must come out," Nitish Kumar said.

Opposition MPs demand Parliament debate

Recently last week, Opposition MPs lambasted the Centre for not scheduling on a debate on the Pegasus snooping row in either House at a press meeting outside Parliament. Citing national security concerns, MPs like Supriya Sule (NCP), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Rahul Gandhi (Congress) alleged that the government was not ready for debate on the issue, sticking to reading statements. Parliament has been disrupted multiple times over Opposition's demand for a debate on the issue.

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. While Centre has refuted all allegations, two pleas have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an SC-monitored probe into the allegations.