Leaders in the tripartite Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) government have slammed the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata (BJP) government amid reports of alleged ‘snooping’ by an unidentified agency on several people, including journalists, Ministers and Opposition leaders through the Israeli spyware Pegasus.
Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded clarifications from both Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue, while stating that the reports proved that the country’s government and administration was “weak”.
Likewise, senior Congressman and Maharashtra Minister SatejPatil, whose party is in alliance with the Sena in the State, said that the Modi government was ruining India’s democratic values and that the Pegasus spyware scam was “a massive breach of the people’s trust and privacy”.
“There is an atmosphere of fear among people. The PM and Home Minister should address the issue and clarify… I will not be surprised if it comes to light that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s phone is also beingtapped,” said Mr. Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, speaking in Delhi.
On Sunday, the independent news website The Wire(which had conducted investigations into the affair along with other international media outlets) had reported that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including that of two serving Ministers, some 40 journalists, three Opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of other business persons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Israeli spyware which is sold only to government agencies.
While the Centre has dismissed allegations of any kind of surveillance on its part, Mr. Raut said he had spoken to Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and that the issue would be taken up in the House during the Monsoon session of Parliament.
“There was a phone tapping issue in Maharashtra which was raised by the State Congress chief Nana Patole. Senior police officials were involved and a probe into it is underway. But in this case, a foreign company is listening to phone calls of our people, especially journalists. This is an extremely grave matter,” Mr. Raut said.
Mr. Patil, who is the Minister of State for Information and Technology and Home, has demanded a stronger IT mechanism that could hold the government accountable instead of bullying technology platforms. “The Pegasus spyware scam is a massive breach of the trust of Indian people and their privacy. In spying on Indian citizens using taxpayer money with the help of an international agency, the Modi government is ruining India’s great democratic values,” said the Congress leader from Kolhapur, in a series of tweets.
Mr. Patil further said that it was high time more stringent IT measures were introduced that were capable of reining in rogue tech platforms and hold governments accountable.
