Asserting that the allegations of snooping using Pegasus spyware weren’t about privacy but an “anti-national act and treason,” former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said “a united Opposition isn’t going anywhere ” until the govt agreed to debate the difficulty in Parliament.
The Opposition hardened its stance after leaders of 14 parties met at the office of the Rajya Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, within the morning to debate a joint strategy against the Narendra Modi government Mr. Gandhi was among those that attended the meeting. Several of them, during a calibrated manner, had demanded adjournment motion to debate the snooping issue after suspending regular business.
“The Opposition is united for a discussion on the Pegasus issue … We aren’t going anywhere till it’s discussed in Parliament,” Mr. Gandhi said during a joint Opposition news conference .
Pegasus issue: Opposition leaders discuss strategy to corner govt in Parliament
The Opposition’s aggressive stance also came after what Mr. Gandhi claimed “the government’s refusal to possess any discussion on the difficulty in Parliament “We just have one question. Has the govt of India bought Pegasus, yes or no? Did the govt use Pegasus weapon on its own people, yes or no?,” he asked.
Rejecting the government’s allegations that the Opposition was disrupting Parliament, Mr. Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and residential Minister Amit Shah of “attacking the soul of India’s democracy.”
‘An anti-national act’
“For us, Pegasus may be a matter associated with nationalism and treason … For me, it’s not a matter of privacy. I see it as an anti-national act. Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah have attacked the soul of India’s democracy,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Addressing the youth and therefore the Indian public directly, the Congress leader said, “Narendra Modi ji had installed a weapon in your phone. This weapon has been used against me, Supreme Court, many leaders, people within the press and activists. So why it shouldn’t be discussed within the House?”
Mr. Gandhi claimed that while Pegasus spyware was used against terrorists and traitors, Mr. Modi used it against India and its institutions.
DMK’s T.R. Baalu said the govt had given an impact that the Opposition parties were against holding discussions in Parliament. “It’s not so. We wanted a discussion from day one. Every day, we are giving notices but the govt isn’t coming forward for a discussion … Democracy is in peril. Pegasus matter has got to be taken very seriously. Like-minded people should close to ascertain that the matter is discussed,” he said.
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut said the Opposition was united over the farm laws and Pegasus spyware and accused the govt of “backstabbing and attacking with this weapon.”
Mr. Raut said it had been not uncommon for Parliament session to urge washed out and reminded the BJP of the disruptions over allegations of corruption within the 2G spectrum allocation Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party said the government’s allegation that the Opposition was deed from a discussion was “false propaganda.”
Linking the Rafale affect the Pegasus snooping issue, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh said, “The lady who made allegations against Justice Ranjan Gogoi was spied upon in April 2019 and therefore the government got a clean chit in November 2019 NCP’s Supriya Sule said the Opposition parties were united in their demand for the discussion in Parliament on the snooping row and it had been for the govt to make sure that the House functioned.
