Best time to ask Israel for advanced Pegasus software: Chidambaram in dig at Modi
Not just Chidambaram, but the Congress party as a whole, has intensified its attack on the Modi government over the spyware controversy, accusing the government of treason for allegedly “tapping” phones of Opposition leaders, armed forces and the judiciary.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha lawmaker P Chidambaram attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over his congratulatory message on the completion of the three-decade-long Indo-Israeli relationship, in connection with the reignited Pegasus controversy.
“The 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 Rajya Sabha MP. In a follow-up tweet, he added, “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.”
This tweet came after The New York Times, published a report, on Saturday, titled ‘The Battle of the World’s Most Powerful Cyber-weapon,’ that said Israeli firm NSO Group had for nearly a decade been “selling its surveillance software on a subscription basis to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world, promising that it could do what no one else could do: consistently and reliably crack the encrypted communications of any iPhone or Android smartphone”.
Not just Chidambaram, but the Congress party as a whole, has intensified its attack on the Modi government over the spyware controversy, accusing the government of treason for allegedly “tapping” phones of Opposition leaders, armed forces and the judiciary. Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of treason. In a tweet posted on Saturday, he said, “This is treason. Modi government has committed treason.”
Congress has pledged to raise the issue in the Budget Session of Parliament starting on Monday, and demand accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party government. Moreover, Opposition parties also urged the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the matter and initiate appropriate penal proceedings against the government for attempting to “deliberately and knowingly deceive” it.