Govt not seeking information on snooping as it was aware: Chidambaram
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Jul, 2021 12:23 PM
New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Amid the Pegasus snooping row on politicians, journalists and others, former Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday alleged that the government was aware of the snooping
In a statement Chidambaram said, "President Macron of France called PM Bennet of Israel and demanded to know full information about the alleged use of Pegasus spyware to hack phones in France, including the President's, PM Bennet promised to come back with the 'conclusions' of their own investigations."
He alleged that the only government that is unconcerned is the Government of India!, "Is it because the government was fully aware of the snooping and does not need any more information from Israel or the NSO Group?" he said.
On Friday, former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi on described Pegasus as a weapon and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He also demanded a Supreme Court probe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the media outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, "Pegasus is classified by the Israeli State as a weapon and that weapon is supposed to be used against the terrorist. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Union Home Minister have used this weapon against the Indian State and against our institutions."
He alleged that the government used it politically. "They have used it in Karnataka, they have used it to scuttle probes, they have used it against the Supreme Court and against all the institutions of this country," he alleged.
A delegation of Sikh leaders on Tuesday met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy over the recent incident of forcible religious conversion of two Sikh girls in the Kashmir valley and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday favoured the need to start breeding crocodiles in the state's rivers, especially the Beas and the Sutlej, as they were found in abundance six decades ago.
Facing massive statewide agitation by farmers over power outages, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday issued directions to ensure eight-hour uninterrupted power supply and to purchase deficient power from outside the state at any cost to prevent any supply disruption in the ongoing sowing season.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant, told reporters that the police teams were forced to open fire after firing warning shots in the air as the accused persons resisted the search teams' efforts to nab them.
On the occasion of Bhagat Kabir Ji Jayanti, the Chief Minister also announced that his government will soon disburse Rs 560 crore to the landless farm labourers under the Debt Waiver Scheme.
