Best time to ask for advanced version: Chidambaram slams Centre over Pegasus spyware issue
Day after reports surfaced that the Centre allegedly bought Israeli spyware Pegasus in 2017, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram took a jibe at the Centre by saying that it is the best time to ask Israel if they have any advanced version of the Pegasus spyware.
"PM said that it is the best time to set new goals in the India-Israel relationship Of course, it is the best time to ask Israel if they have any advanced version of the Pegasus spyware," tweeted the Congress leader.
In a veiled attack, the Congress leader further targeted the Centre by saying that if we get more sophisticated spyware ahead of the 2024 elections, India can give Israel even 4 billion dollars.
"The last deal was for $2 billion. India can do better this time. If we get more sophisticated spyware ahead of the 2024 elections, we can give them even $4 billion," the Congress MP tweeted.
Congress on Saturday once again alleged that the Central government on the issue of Pegasus Software Purchase stated that the Modi government deployed it for snooping and spying upon Rahul Gandhi and his staff members. Addressing a press conference, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala jointly said that the snooping was an "act of treason".
"The Modi Government is the deployer and executor of the illegal and unconstitutional snooping and spying racket through Israeli surveillance spyware Pegasus & the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is himself involved!"
"This is a brazen 'Hijack of Democracy' & 'An Act of Treason'," they said.
Surjewala said, "The Modi government purchased Pegasus Spyware in 2017 and other military technology as the 'centrepieces' of a package, including 'weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly $2 billion' from Israel during PM Modi's visit. It is not a coincidence that the Budget of National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) reporting to NSA went up from Rs 33 crore to Rs 333 crore in 2017-18."
In July 2021, names of several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and over 40 Indian journalists appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware, according to a report published in The Wire. However, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had attacked the reports of India's Pegasus use as "baseless" and "highly sensational".
The Supreme Court, had in October last year, formed a three-member committee to oversee a technical committee comprising three members, including those who are experts in cyber security, digital forensics, networks, and hardware, which will probe Pegasus spyware case.
(With inputs from agencies)
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