Pralhad Joshi says Oppn's Privilege Motion against IT Minister Vaishnaw on Pegasus issue 'not strong enough'
Jan 31, 2022
New Delhi [India], January 31 : Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Monday said that the Opposition's privilege motion against Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Pegasus issue is "not strong enough".
Speaking with ANI, Joshi said, "Privilege Motion isn't strong enough. The matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court."
When asked for a comment on the issue, Joshi said, "It is not right for anybody to make a comment, not right for me either."
Congress and CPI MPs have issued a privilege motion against Union Minister of Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw for "deliberately misleading the House on Pegasus issue".
Notably, after the US newspaper report regarding the alleged Pegasus spyware purchase deal surfaced, lawyer ML Sharma moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to register FIR and probe the matter.
The petition said the alleged India-Israel deal was not approved by Parliament and, therefore, needs to be cancelled and money recovered.
In July 2021, names of several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and over 40 Indian journalists appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware, according to a report published in The Wire.
However, the Union IT Minister had said there is 'no substance' in the media report regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp, adding that the report was an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.
