JOIN USPegasus ransomware issue rocks Maharashtra; Congress asks for probe in former BJP govt
As the Pegasus row rocked Parliament's Monsoon Session, the Maharashtra government on Monday wanted to know whether the snooping and phone-tapping took place in the state during the previous BJP-led government headed by Devendra Fadnavis.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson and general secretary Sachin Sawant sought a thorough probe by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
The two other MVA partners, Shiv Sena and NCP, also expressed concern over the episode.
"The Pegasus scandal happened in Maharashtra as well? It is demanded that the MVA government should probe this. In Maharashtra, a case of unauthorised phone tapping through Rashmi Shukla has already come to light during the Fadnavis government. But there were also reports of use of Pegasus,” Sawant said.
Rashmi Shukla, a senior IPS officer was the commissioner of State Intelligence Department and now additional director general (south zone), Central Reserve Police Force.
Sawant further said that phone tapping at a national level through Pegasus software and the possible role of the Modi government is very serious. “All BJP-ruled state governments may have been instructed to work on this procedure. Phone tapping during Fadnavis government has the same mentality and intentions,” he said.
“How many times did some officers go to Israel? Were there any government meetings with NSO? What was the correspondence with NSO? It should all come to the fore. Earlier, such an inquiry was demanded by (Congress leader) Digvijaya Singh also,” he added.
Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, "There was a phone tapping issue in Maharashtra which was raised by state Congress chief Nana Patole. Senior police officials were involved and a probe was underway. But in this case, a foreign company is hearing the phones of our people, especially journalists. This is serious."
"I will not be surprised if Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's phone is also tapped," he said.
NCP chief spokesman and state minority affairs minister Nawab Malik told reporters that Pegasus had made it clear that it provided the software only to governments and not private individuals. "If the software wasn't sold to private individuals, which agency of the central government hacked the phones of journalists, ministers, social workers, judges and industrialists?" he wanted to know.
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