Pegasus Row in India: Gathering Steam?

[Sukla Sen]

Reportedly, at least, the Congress, the Shiv Sena and the Left have asked for JPC probe.

(The Congress has asked also for the resignation of the Home Minister in view of the revelation(?) that snooping, via Pegasus, was used to  pull down the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka.)

It's not too unexpected that there would be some jockeying amongst the opposition parties to attract the limelight.

And a strong regional party basking in the glory of its highly publicised recent decisive electoral victory in the teeth of all the gross machinations of the Modi-Shah duo may find that lure quite irresistible.

But, that must not mar the prospects of a broad-based fight given the enormity of the stakes.

One can only hope.

On the face of it, a JPC probe - controlled and monitored by a body of parliamentarians themselves, is the best option to dig out the facts and keep placing these in the public domain.

Of course, the downside is that the BJP and its allies would do all that they can do to drag on the whole exercise - if at all.

To be sure, the ruling party would do all that it can do to stonewall any such prospect.

<<Earlier in the day, at a meeting of like-minded opposition parties, the latest revelations made by the international media consortium were discussed. So far, it has been revealed that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the spyware.

“We are not satisfied with the explanation given by the IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha on Monday. Till the government comes up with a satisfactory reply we shall continue to stall the proceedings in both houses of Parliament,” an opposition leader said. The only exceptions will be made during a debate on COVID, farm laws and fuel hike, the leader added.

There are however differences within the opposition on how the issue should be probed.

The TMC was of the view that a Joint Parliamentary Committee is not equipped to carry out a probe of such international dimensions. “Our leader Mamata Banerjee has never favoured a JPC probe into any issue. It usually is far too long drawn to have any impact,” Mr O’ Brien said.

The Left parties have demanded a JPC probe on the issue.>>

(Excerpted from: <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/will-stall-parliament-till-govt-comes-clean-on-pegasus-tmc/article35432874.ece>.)