New Delhi: Accusing the Modi government of using Pegasus spyware as a “weapon against the people of India”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday said his phones were being tapped and that his security men had been asked to report on everything he said.
“Every single phone of mine is tapped. I get phone calls from IB (Intelligence Bureau) people who tap my phones. They call me up and say please be aware that I am tapping your phone,” Gandhi claimed, speaking to media persons outside the parliament.
“My security people tell me that they have to debrief what I say. They have to report to their seniors everything I say. So I am under no pretensions that I am not being tapped,” he further said.
Gandhi claimed that his friends also get calls asking them to inform the leader that he is being tapped.
Gandhi also said that this isn’t a matter of his privacy and that he is “like an open book.”
“My phone was tapped, but this isn’t an issue of my privacy. This isn’t an issue of Rahul Gandhi’s privacy. I am a leader of the opposition, I raise the voice of the people. So this is an attack on the voice of the people,” he said.
“I am like an open book. This doesn’t affect me. If one is corrupt, or a thief, only they will be scared. I laugh about these things,” he added.
In a series of tranches, beginning Sunday evening, a media consortium has been releasing names of those whose mobile devices were alleged targets of hacking using the Israeli software Pegasus. Among them are Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of State Prahlad Singh Patel, political strategist Prashant Kishor and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee were all targets.
‘This is treason, Home Minister must resign’
The Congress leader accused Home Minister Amit Shah of treason and demanded his resignation and a judicial inquiry against PM Narendra Modi.
“People call it a snooping software, spyware…but it’s a weapon. Israeli government classifies it as a weapon. And this weapon is used against terrorists and criminals. But our Prime Minister and Home Minister used it against India’s democracy and institutions,” he said.
“They used pegasus on SC (judge), they used pegasus to halt the Rafale investigation. Modi ji has used this weapon against the people of India,” he said.
“There is only one word for it: treason. Home Minister needs to resign, and there needs to be a judicial inquiry against PM Modi. Because no one besides the government can give authorisation for Pegasus,” he added.
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