Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 29: With a day to go before the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from Monday, the controversy over the alleged misuse of the Israeli spyware Pegasus is back in the news with the New York Times on Saturday publishing, what it claimed, an “investigative report” claiming that India did buy the spyware during the prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017.
The Congress and several other opposition parties pounced on the government claiming that the BJP and the party government at the centre for misleading both Parliament and the Supreme Court by submitting false claims. The Congress termed the act of purchasing the software “an act of treason” to spy on the opposition leaders, Supreme Court judges, some of the ruling party leaders, army officers, journalists and others.
The opposition leaders also threatened to raise the issue in Parliament giving a clear indication that the budget session except for running some important official business might again end in chaos as did the last time when the opposition did not allow the two Houses to function after a media syndicate published the report about the Modi government using the spyware on some of its citizens.
Reacting to the New York Times report, the Congress said the use of Pegasus spyware on Opposition leaders, Supreme Court judges, and other civilians was an “act of treason.” The NYT had claimed that in July 2017, during Modi’s visit to Israel the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth $2 billion with Pegasus as its centerpiece was agreed on.
While there was no comment came from the government or any other official sources on the issue, the union minister of state General VK Singh was prompt to condemn the NYT. Slamming one of the world’ most famous newspapers, Singh said, “Can you trust NYT?? They are known “Supari Media”,” he said in a tweet.
Pegasus has been in the centre of a big controversy over its alleged used against the public, military and civil officers, politicians, activists, judges and journalists for illegal surveillance. The report by The New York Times said Pegasus and a missile system were the “centrepieces” of a $2 billion deal in 2017 when Modi visited Israel – the first by any Indian Prime Minister.
“The Modi government bought Pegasus to spy on our primary democratic institutions, politicians, the public, government functionaries, opposition leaders, armed forces, judiciary, all were targeted with phone tapping. This is treason,” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters.
At a press conference, Congress general secretary (communication) Surjewala and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, “It was now clear that the Modi government purchased the spyware and Modi was directly involved in signing the agreement.
“The buck stops at the Prime Minister’s door. The BJP duped Parliament and misled the Supreme Court. They used public money to spy and snoop upon their own people. They hijacked the democracy in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. This is an act of treason,” Surjewala said.
In Parliament, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who himself was believed to be one of the victims of the spyware, had said the reports of India’s Pegasus use was “baseless” and “highly sensational”. The Ministry of Home Affairs also denied the purchase of Pegasus to an RTI query.
“The Modi government misled the Supreme Court, which directly questioned it on the purchase and use of the questionable software. In its sworn affidavit, the government [represented through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology] had “unequivocally denied any and all of the allegations made against it,” Surjewala stated.
To counter these news reports, Home Minister Amit Shah “deployed the usual strategy of false propaganda”. He had called it “report by the disrupters for the obstructers.” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had claimed that the reports of India using Pegasus are a “revenge for the way India handled COVID-19, vaccination and more than 75% of population… getting free vaccines.”
Kharge said the Congress would speak to other Opposition parties and come up with a cohesive strategy on the issue. “During the monsoon session, we raised these very questions. At that time, we were accused of disrupting the session. We asked for a debate but the government refused to speak, obviously because they wanted to hide the truth,” he added.
Kharge said, “Parliament was deceived by the Modi government. It is clear that the Supreme Court was also duped by the Modi government. It is also clear that the people of India were lied to by the Modi government and its ministers,” Kharge said.
“The role of the Prime Minister and his responsibility is directly in question. We will seek accountability of the Prime Minister and his government on the floor of Parliament. We seek accountability of the Prime Minister and his government in the people’s court. And we will urge upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu note and issue appropriate penal proceedings against this government for deliberately deceiving the apex court,” Surjewala said.
“It is clear that the Modi government is the deployer and executor of the illegal and unconstitutional snooping and spying racket through Israeli surveillance spyware Pegasus and Prime Minister Modi is himself involved in it. This is a brazen hijack of democracy and an act of treason,” Surjewala said. “It is now clear that the Modi government, led by the Prime Minister himself…hijacked democracy in the runup to the 2019 Lok Sabha and committed treason,” he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged the Modi Government “bought” Pegasus to “spy on our primary democratic institutions, politicians and public.” “Govt functionaries, opposition leaders, armed forces, judiciary all were targeted by these phone tappings. This is treason,” he tweeted. “Modi Govt has committed treason.”
Citing the media report, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed said this is “irrefutable proof” that the BJP Government used military grade spyware to snoop on the citizens of India, including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. There must be accountability, she demanded.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil alleged that the “revelations” in the report imply that the Government “misled” the Supreme Court and Parliament on the issue. “Why @narendramodi is silent? It is @PMOIndia’s duty to clarify. New York Times revelations today that It did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers money of ₹300 crores to spyware Pegasus sold by Israeli NSO company,” he tweeted.
“This implies our Govt misled Supreme Court & Parliament, Gohil said. Youth Congress chief B.V. Srinivas also cited the media report and tweeted, “Hence Proved! Chowkidar Hi Jasoos Hai..” Reacting to the report, Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi alleged in a tweet, “PM Modi went to Israel to purchase weapons to counter terrorism and instead used it on his own civilians including journalists, judges, bureaucrats and opposition politicians.”
In a tweet, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged the spyware was used not for defence purposes but to snoop on opposition and journalists. “If there is BJP, it is possible. They have made the country into a Bigg Boss show,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said, “Modi Government must rebut New York Times revelations today that it did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers money of ₹300 crores to spyware Pegasus sold by Israeli NSO company.” “This implies prima facie our Govt misled Supreme Court and Parliament. Watergate?” he tweeted.
An international investigative consortium had claimed last year that many people including Indian ministers, politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists were potentially targeted by the NSO Group’s phone hacking software. The Supreme Court had set up a three-member independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of Pegasus for targeted surveillance in India. The Government had denied all allegations made against it in the matter.
The Congress’s latest attack focuses on what the Defence Ministry said in parliament, that it has not made any transaction with the Israeli firm NSO. Under pressure after the NSO group – which said it does business only with governments and government agencies – the government had told parliament that no illegal interception has been done. The government has, however, never said in an affidavit or in parliament that it has not bought Pegasus.
A technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court earlier this month sought information from people who suspect their phones were targeted. Overruling virtually every argument made by the centre, the Supreme Court said privacy is not the singular concern of journalists or social activists but of every citizen.
The Pegasus matter is being monitored by a committee under the Supreme Court and its report is awaited. “Matter (is) already with the Supreme Court. The court has constituted a committee under the supervision of retired judge Justice Raveendran. The committee’s report (is) awaited,” officials said.
According to Surjewala, among those against whom Pegasus was used by the Modi government were Rahul Gandhi and five of his staff, HD Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah, HD Kumaraswamy, Vasundhara Raje, Praveen Togadia, Smiriti Irani’s officer on special duty, Supreme Court judges, Alok Verma, KK Sharma, Jitendra Kumar Ojha, lawyers, activists and journalists.