Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Thammineni Seetharam on Monday agreed to constitute a House Committee to inquire into the alleged purchase of Pegasus spyware during the tenure of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Chief Whip G. Srikanth Reddy and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLAs Ambati Rambabu, Gudivada Amarnath and K. Abbaya Chowdary requested the Speaker for the inquiry, alleging that not only political leaders, but also voters were kept under surveillance in a ‘brazen violation’ of the Indian Telegraph Act, the Information Technology Act etc. when the TDP was in office.
Mr. Seetharam said he would make an announcement on the committee in a day or two.
Participating in a short discussion on the issue, the YSRCP MLAs referred to a recent comment made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that she had turned down an offer to buy the Israeli spyware and that the Chandrababu Naidu government had procured it.
“It is a matter of serious concern. N. Chandrababu Naidu and his near and dear ones, by deploying the spyware, had invaded the privacy of the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh. The matter should also be taken to the notice of the three-member committee set up by the Supreme Court to probe the Pegasus case in view of its far-reaching implications,” said Mr. Rajendranath Reddy.
He observed that the former Chief Minister (Mr. Naidu) could not have done it without the connivance of the then Additional DGP (intelligence) A.B. Venkateswara Rao, who is facing a departmental probe into his alleged role in the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostat(s) from an Israeli firm through a company practically owned by his son, by flouting all norms.
Mr. Rajendranath Reddy further said that the Pegasus spyware was so easy to install that a missed call was enough to hack the targeted devices to steal sensitive data and watch the movements of individuals through the cameras in their mobile phones, apparently without their knowledge. The harm caused by the spyware was evident from complaints lodged by the makers of iPhone and WhatsApp.
National security
“The spyware poses a serious threat to national security. There is every likelihood of its continued usage. A House Committee should be formed to put an end to the issue,” Mr. Rajendranath Reddy requested the Speaker.
Mr. Rambabu said being one of the country’s senior most politicians, Ms. Banerjee would neither have made the comment (that the Chandrababu Naidu government had bought the Pegasus spyware) in a casual manner nor due to enmity with the TDP president.
