• Parliamentary panel likely to question officials on Pegasus phone tapping allegations
• Agenda of July 28 meeting is ‘Citizens’ data security and privacy’

NEW DELHI (TIP): Parliament remained disrupted on Pegasus snooping row and farmers’ issues for the third day on Thursday, July 22, with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned twice first till noon and then till 2 pm.

Opposition MPs stormed the Well, flashing placards in front of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who repeatedly asked the members to return to the seats saying the government was willing to discuss anything as per rules.

“This is not right; this is a wrong practice. This Parliament is yours. The onus of retaining its glory is on you. If you don’t do that democracy will not be strengthened. I am ready to get discussion done on the issue that’s agitating you,” said the Speaker, but to no avail.

Congress, TMC and Left parties were seen storming the Well agitating on issues of farmers and against the alleged snooping of Indian individuals using a foreign spyware.

In Rajya Sabha too, the opposition MPs forced two adjournments and the House was adjourned within a minute of assembling at 11 am.

Later, when the RS reassembled, the Opposition MPs continued to raise slogans against the alleged snooping controversy.

In the ruckus, the deputy chairman sought laying of the parliamentary committee reports that could not be laid at the scheduled hour in the morning due to opposition protests.

Soon after, he adjourned the proceedings for the day.

When the Lok Sabha reassembled at noon after the first adjournment the government said it was ready for any discussion.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said, “Rajya Sabha has already discussed Covid. Despite our assurances the opposition here is disrupting the question hour which is a right of the members. Disrupting the proceedings when government is ready for discussion is not right. Tell us on what issue you want a discussion. We will discuss.”

Presiding officer LS Bhartruhari Mahtab urged MPs to go to their seats and allow the House to function but had to again adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm amid pandemonium.

Later, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till Friday amid continued protests by Opposition members against the “three black farm laws”.

The Left is seeking a JPC in the snooping row while the Congress and TMC have demanded a Supreme Court-led investigation.

The government has denied the charges as sensational calling the reports by an international media consortium a “global conspiracy”.

Speaking in Lok Sabha, Union IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had dismissed the reports as “baseless” and said that the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament were aimed at maligning Indian democracy.

A parliamentary panel on IT headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to question top government officials, including from Home Ministry, next week on allegations related to phone tapping of many using Pegasus spyware, sources said on Wednesday.

An international media consortium has claimed that several Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, two union ministers, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and some 40 journalists were among those whose phone numbers were listed as potential targets for hacking through the Israeli spyware which is usually supplied to government agencies.

The Indian government and Israeli surveillance company NSO Group, which sells Pegasus spyware worldwide, have refuted the reports.

The 32-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology headed by Tharoor is scheduled to meet on July 28. The agenda of the meeting is ‘Citizens’ data security and privacy’, according to the notification issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The panel, which has maximum members from the ruling BJP, has summoned officials from the Ministry of Electronics, Information and Technology and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sources in the panel said the Pegasus phone tapping issue will definitely be raised in the meeting and details will be sought from the government officials.