With the Opposition unrelenting on a discussion on Pegasus revelations in Parliament, BJP on Thursday went on an offensive targeting the “Congress dynasty” for the logjam and claiming that there was no prima facie evidence to support the snooping allegations.
Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP was ready for a discussion in Parliament on the Pegasus revelations but said that the Congress too should be prepared for sharp questions.
“Are Congress and other opposition ready for a sincere discussion or only in throwing muck and staging walk outs as seen in the past,” Prasad asked.
The BJP's defence of Pegasus is on three clear points – highlight the snooping incidents during the Congress rule, target it for disruptions in Parliament, and question the veracity of the claims made by the Pegasus Project.
Prasad claimed that people who are “hostile” to the Modi government and have an anti-Modi agenda were behind the Pegasus snooping controversy, and it was timed deliberately to disrupt the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi had already said in Lok Sabha that Pegasus revelations was a “non-issue” and counselled the opposition to raise issues concerning the common man.
On Thursday, Prasad kept up the attack on the Congress dynasty, accusing it of failing to reconcile to the fact that people had reposed their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi in successive elections.
Prasad said the Congress was never serious about Parliament and resorted to disruptions even in the past by boycotting the then Defence Minister George Fernandes in Parliament.
“Congress has been raising the Covid-19 issue but they skipped the meeting on Covid called by the Prime Minister. They never take Parliament seriously. They tore apart the IT Minister's statement on Pegasus,” he said.
(Published 05 August 2021, 10:49 IST)
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