India News | DPCC Chief Demands JPC Probe into 'snooping' Row

New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Chaudhary Anil Kumar on Wednesday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus, to snoop on at least 300 phone numbers, including those of opposition leaders, activists and journalists.

He also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose name is also in the list of possible targets of surveillance, became a "target" of the ruling government as he has been constantly "raising uncomfortable issues" such as corruption in the Rafale deal, ongoing farmers' agitation and mismanagement of the Covid pandemic.

"The Modi government should come clean on the issue through a JPC probe," said Kumar during a press conference at the DPCC office.

Kumar also questioned the silence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the alleged snooping of phones of opposition leaders and other prominent citizens.

"The Kejriwal-led government's survival depends on BJP government's gratuitousness, whether it is for getting free oxygen supply, free Covid vaccine doses, hospital beds, managing the pandemic, and other aspects of governance," he claimed.

An international media consortium reported Sunday 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.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)