Pegasus Row | ‘More Sophisticated Spyware Ahead Of 2024 Elections...’: Chidambaram’s Swipe At Centre

In a veiled attack, P Chidambaram wrote about India getting more sophisticated spyware ahead of the 2024 general elections.

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New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at the BJP-led Union government over the issue of Pegasus spyware.

This comes a day after The New York Times claimed that India bought Pegasus spyware from Israel as part of a defence deal in 2017

According to the report, the Israeli spyware Pegasus and a missile system were the “centerpieces” of a roughly USD 2-billion deal between India and Israel in 2017 involving sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear.

Training guns at Centre, P Chidambaram jibed that it is the best time to ask Israel “if they have any advanced version of the Pegasus spyware”. 

“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,” the Congress leader tweeted. 

In a veiled attack, he further wrote about India getting more sophisticated spyware ahead of the 2024 general elections.

“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 MP tweeted. 

Chidambaram also targetted Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, who had on Saturday rebuffed the report claims tweeting: “Can you trust NYT?? They are known ‘Supari Media’”. 

 
Following the fresh claims on alleged Pegasus snooping, Congress has accused the Centre of deceiving Parliament, duping the Supreme Court, hijacking democracy, and indulging in treason.

“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,” Rahul Gandhi had alleged.

Congress stated that it intends to raise the issue in the budget session starting next week, in an attempt to seek accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government on the floor of Parliament.

The principal opposition party has also urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter along with initiating appropriate penal proceedings against the government for attempting to “deliberately and knowingly deceive” the apex court.

(With Agency Inputs)