Dimapur, July 22 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of infringing on the civil liberties of individuals by covertly accessing their personal data and turning their mobile phones into listening devices.
The NPCC statement was issued on Thursday by its President K Therie after reports emerged that phone numbers of several individuals all over the world figured in a leaked database from surveillance company NSO, linked to its Pegasus malware.
The NPCC expressed shock to learn that cell phones of important personalities in the nation have been ‘illegally and unconstitutionally’ hacked, including that of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his office staff.
“It has also been reported that the spyware ‘Pegasus’ was deployed to hack cell phones in the run-up to the 2019 General Elections to Parliament,” the NPCC stated.
While noting that as per NSO, author of Pegasus, all its products are sold to “government agencies to combat terrorism and other serious crimes,” the NPCC alleged that the BJP government has “totally misused the tool to infringe on the civil liberties of the individuals affected by covertly accessing their personal data and turning their mobile phones into listening devices.”
The NPCC held Prime Minister Narendra Modi “responsible for spying on India’s Security Forces, Judiciary, Cabinet Ministers, Opposition Leaders, Journalists and other activists through a foreign entity’s spyware; thereby committing treason and an inexcusable breach of National Security.”
It also demanded for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to be “sacked immediately for his failure to uphold the provisions of the Constitution of India which he has sworn to uphold.”
The tapping scandal is a blatant reflection of the loss of ideas and wisdom of the BJP government, the NPCC stated. “A clearer picture is now emerging on the secret behind the BJP’s success,” it concluded.
