Privilege motions were moved by lawmakers from the CPI and CPI(M) on Monday following the New York Times that said Pegasus spyware and a missile system were the centrepieces of a roughly $2 billion deal between India and Israel in 2017.
Information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw “deliberately misled” Parliament on the alleged purchase and use of Pegasus spyware in India, according to a privilege motion filed by Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Meanwhile, CPI(M) MP V Sivadasan also submitted a notice to move a privilege motion under rule 187 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Rajya Sabha, accusing the government of “misleading” the House on the Pegasus spyware issue.
A section of media has copies of both notices.
“Despite the government’s repeated attempts at hiding the truth, numerous pieces of evidence have been made public that point towards the government’s purchase of Pegasus spyware. The New York Times report is the latest on the list,” Viswam alleged in the privilege motion.
“As a matter concerning grave allegations of snooping that violate Constitutional rights and safeguards, the Minister’s deliberate attempt to mislead the Members of Parliament constitutes a breach of privilege,” he said.
In his notice, Sivadasan said on August 9 last year, Minister of State, Defence Ajay Bhatt said there was no transaction between the ministry and the Israeli firm NSO.
Citing the NYT report, Sivadasan said, “This revelation confirms the apprehension that the reply by the Hon. Minister was misleading the august House, thus constituting a breach of my privilege as a member of the House and of the privilege of the House as a whole. The matter has grave implications for the dignified functioning of Parliament.”
The MP also said he had raised a similar question again, this time to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which was rejected, but the MHA chose to “insultingly dub the question as hypothetical in remarks, thus trying to convey the message that there was no ground for such a question to arise”.
“As the minister heading the Ministry of Home Affairs, Amit Shah is responsible for the misleading response, which constitutes a breach of my privilege as a member of the House,” he added.
Sivadasan also raised questions on the response of Vaishnaw.
Speaking in Parliament on July 19, 2021, Vaishnaw had countered reports suggesting India used Pegasus to hack into the phones of journalists, activists, opposition leaders and ministers. The reports were nothing but an “attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions,” he had said.
Vaishnaw, who was making his first speech as the new IT minister at the time, had said the “highly sensational story” made several “over the top allegations,” but there was “no substance behind them”.
The opposition member’s privilege motion was not “strong enough” and the Supreme Court is considering the matter, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi told ANI news agency.
(With inputs from agencies)