Amid the latest row over the Pegasus spyware controversy, 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.
In a series of tweets, P Chidambaram said: "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."
In a veiled attack, P Chidambaram further said 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 leader 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.
A New York Times report claiming India bought Pegasus spyware as part of a USD 2 billion defence deal with Israel in 2017 triggered a major controversy on Saturday with the Opposition alleging that the government indulged in illegal snooping that amounted to "treason".
The Opposition parties indicated that they would raise the issue strongly in the Budget Session of Parliament starting Monday, even as Union minister Gen (retd) V K Singh called The New York Times "Supari Media".
Reacting to NYT's report, Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, said on Twitter: "Can you trust NYT?? They are known "Supari Media"." The Congress launched an all-out attack on the government over the report, accusing it of deceiving Parliament, duping the Supreme Court, hijacking democracy and indulging in treason.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter, "The Modi Government bought Pegasus to spy on our primary democratic institutions, politicians and public. Government functionaries, opposition leaders, armed forces, judiciary all were targeted by these phone tappings. This is treason." "The Modi Government has committed treason," he alleged.
The Congress said it intends to raise the issue in the budget session and demand accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government on the floor of Parliament.
The principal opposition party also urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and initiate appropriate penal proceedings against the government for attempting to "deliberately and knowingly deceive" it.
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.
(With inputs from Agencies)
