Report on Pegasus by ‘disrupters’ & ‘obstructers’, says Amit Shah on ‘snooping’ allegation

Opposition parties Monday hit out at the Modi govt over the alleged phone-tapping of prominent personalities and demanded an independent judicial or parliamentary committee probe.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah (file photo) | Twitter/@AmitShah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday hit out at the opposition Congress and international organisations for suggesting that the government was involved in surveillance of phones of politicians, journalists and others, saying such “obstructers” and “disrupters” will not be able to derail India’s development trajectory with their conspiracies.

In a hard-hitting statement, Shah said that the report about the alleged snooping has been amplified by a few whose only aim is to do whatever is possible to humiliate India at the world stage.

“This is a report by the disrupters for the obstructers. Disrupters are global organisations that do not like India to progress.

“Obstructers are political players in India who do not want India to progress. People of India are very good at understanding this chronology and connection,” he said.

The home minister said he wanted to assure the people of India that the Modi government’s priority is clear ‘National Welfare’ – and it will keep working to achieve that no matter what happens.

Opposition parties on Monday hit out at the government over the alleged phone-tapping of prominent personalities in the country using Israeli Pegasus spyware and demanded an independent judicial or parliamentary committee probe.

An international media consortium reported Sunday that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving 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 Israeli spyware sold only to government agencies.

Shah said those who intend to derail India’s progress are peddling the same old narratives about the country.

“To see the rudderless Congress, jump on to this bandwagon is not unexpected.

“They have a good past experience in trampling over democracy and with their own house not in order, they are now trying to derail anything progressive that comes up in Parliament,” he said.