News Analysis India

Tag: Pegasus snooping issue

  • Pegasus row: Lok Sabha Speaker meets officials on not appearing before Tharoor-led Parliment panel

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Taking note of a complaint filed by Congress leader and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is learnt to have met the secretaries of the home, information technology and telecom ministries, sources said on Wednesday.

    The three secretaries wrote to Tharoor conveying their unavailability to depose before the panel at its meeting on July 28, in which the committee was expected to take up the Pegasus snooping issue.

    A day after the meeting, Tharoor wrote to Birla informing him that the three secretaries were called to depose on “citizens’ data security and privacy”.

    The meeting was cancelled after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members boycotted it, resulting in a lack of quorum.

    The BJP MPs had accused Tharoor of using the committee for “forwarding the Congress agenda”.

    Tharoor met the speaker on several occasions on the issue of non-appearance of government officials before the standing committee meeting on July 28.

    Birla was expected to hold an informal meeting of all the panel members but so far, no such meeting has taken place.

    The committee is again expected to meet on August 17 to adopt the reports on “Internet Shutdowns in India” and “Media Ethics”.

    BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has been demanding Tharoor’s removal from the committee for allegedly forwarding his party’s political agenda.

  • Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid protests by opposition members over Pegasus, other issues

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday amid continuous protests by opposition members over Pegasus snooping controversy and other issues.

    As the House reconvened at 2 pm after being adjourned four times before in the day, opposition members trooped into the Well.

    Rama Devi, who was in the Chair, urged the members to go back to their seats and let the discussion on COVID-19 take place.

    As the protesting members were unwilling to relent, the House was adjourned for the day.

    When the House met for the day in the morning, Opposition members sought to raise various issues, including the Pegasus spyware controversy and started shouting slogans following which the proceedings were adjourned till 11:30 am.

    When the Question Hour resumed at 11:30 am, Opposition members trooped into Well.

    Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, asked members to go back to their seats.

    “Question Hour is a medium to discuss issues, please participate in this,” Agrawal said.

    Soon, he adjourned the House till noon.

    When the House met again at noon, Agarwal, who was in the chair allowed papers related to different ministries to be tabled in the House.

    Then he allowed Aayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to introduce The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021 amidst strong opposition.

    TMC member Saugata Roy said he opposed the introduction of the Homeopathy bill as it would be detrimental to the Homeopathy profession.

    However, Sonowal defended the bill saying it is very important for the country and members should appreciate it.

    Congress leader Manish Tewari said the introduction of bills amidst opposition protests is violation of the Constitution.

    After admission of the two bills, Agarwal allowed Social Justice and Empowerment minister Virendra Kumar to introduce The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021.

    Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury strongly opposed the move and said that the entire opposition has been demanding discussion on the alleged snooping by Pegasus spyware but the government was ignoring the demand.

    Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Meghwal strongly objected it, saying the government was ready for discussion on all issues.

    As protests, continued, Agarwal adjourned the House till 12.

    30 pm.

    When the House met again, the House passed The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2021 and The Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2021 amidst strong opposition protests.

    Both the bills were earlier passed by Rajya Sabha.

    The House also passed The Constitution (Schedule Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill 2021 after a brief discussion amidst opposition protests.

    Soon, the chair adjourned the House till 2 pm.

    Earlier, Speaker Om Birla, on behalf of the House, paid tributes to those who had participated in the Quit India Movement.

    The members also stood in silence for a brief while as a mark of respect to those who took part in that movement.

    The country is celebrating the 79th anniversary of the Quit India Movement that was launched in 1942 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

    Birla also mentioned about India’s performance at the just-concluded Olympic games at Tokyo and congratulated the medal winners.

    Members thumped their desks when the name of Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold medal in javelin throw at the Olympics, was mentioned.

    While noting that winning seven medals was the best ever Olympics performance by India, Birla exuded confidence that the performance would enthuse youngsters.

  • Two bills passed without debate as chaos continues in Parliament

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Ruckus ruled in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, amid a breakdown of communication between the government and the Opposition. The Pegasus snooping issue is threatening to wash out the monsoon session. Sensing the Opposition’s strategy, the government pushed ahead with legislative business, while both House witnessed relentless sloganeering, tearing and throwing of papers.

    The Lok Sabha saw the Question Hour taken upon amid the din and the passing of the IBC (Amendment) Bill and the supplementary demands, making clear that the treasury benches will seek the nod to legislative proposals to replace the ordinances issued recently.

    While Lok Sabha for the first time in the monsoon session completed the Question Hour, it also witnessed angry Opposition MPs throw torn papers at the Chair. There’s a likelihood of the treasury benches pushing for the suspension of  TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Ravneet Singh Bittu, AM Ariff, Manickam Tagore, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, V Vaithilingam and Jothimani Sennimalai for disrespecting Chair.   

    Rahul Gandhi (picture left) demands discussion on Pegasus controversy inNew Delhi on Wednesday;

    It was no different in Rajya Sabha, with the Opposition demanding discussion on Pegasus and the Centre going ahead with legislative business amidst the din. The House passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 without discussion. 

    Opposition MPs pushed for adjournment notices given by them to take up the discussion and trooped into the well of the House with posters and resorted to sloganeering. While the Zero Hour could not be taken up, the Deputy Chairman managed to take all questions listed for the Question Hour .

    The Opposition held a joint strategy meeting featuring 14 parties to discuss a strategy to corner the government. “The Pegasus row for us is an issue of nationalism, treason. This is not a matter of privacy. It is anti-national work. We are not disturbing Parliament, we are only fulfilling our responsibility. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah have hit the soul of India’s democracy by using Pegasus against India, its institutions,” said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, flanked by others.

    BJP MPs demand OBC quota in NEETWith an eye on next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a delegation of BJP MPs called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the demand to include OBC reservation in NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test). They argued there’s no provision for OBC quota in the all India entrance test for medical education and other courses.

  • Congress MP Manicka Tagore gives adjournment notice in Lok Sabha over Pegasus issue

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manicka Tagore on Tuesday gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha and demanded a discussion in the presence of the Prime Minister or Home Minister on the Pegasus snooping, spying and surveillance scandal.

    “I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:- Need to suspend the business of the day to have a discussion in the presence of the Prime Minister or Home Minister on the Pegasus snooping, spying and surveillance scandal that has undermined democracy in India and to have a Supreme Court-monitored enquiry announced immediately,” Congress MP in his notice said.

    Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has approached the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into reports of the government using Israeli software Pegasus to spy on politicians, activists, and journalists.

    The Opposition has alleged that names of several Indian politicians, journalists, lawyers, and activists have appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware. This comes following reports published in The Wire.