The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) staged a protest on Thursday demanding a judicial probe into the alleged snooping on political leaders, members of the judiciary, activists, and journalists using Pegasus spyware.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, BJP ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prahlad Singh Patel, and poll strategist Prashant Kishor are among those whose phone numbers were listed as potential targets for hacking through the Israeli spyware, sold only to government agencies, and international media consortium had reported on Monday.
TNCC president KS Alagiri, who led the protest near Raj Bhavan, demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet step down in view of the "grave threat posed to the national security by the Pegasus spyware row."
"Union Home Minister Amit Shah should have resigned owning moral responsibility for the snooping incident," he said.
Under the present circumstances, there is a possibility of the Indian Army chief's conversation reaching
China or Pakistan. "Then our soldiers may shed their blood (in the event of a conflict) but might find it difficult to win," Alagiri claimed.
Hence, the Narendra Modi government must step down immediately, he added.
On Monday, Shah had lashed out at the Congress and international organizations for alleging surveillance on politicians, journalists, and others, saying such "obstructers" and "disrupters" were only aiming to humiliate India on the world stage.
Earlier today, the Congress members attempted to march towards the Raj Bhavan raising slogans against the BJP-led Centre over the issue but were stopped by the police at a barricaded area nearby.
Former TNCC presidents, party legislators, and others took part in the protest march demanding an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the episode since the safety and security of the country and the privacy of individuals were undermined.
Latest India News
