How Cong wants to use ‘Pegasus Plank’ against BJP | Economic Times

The Congress leadership is of the view that the party and like-minded opposition allies should deploy the “Pegasus spyware plank” against the Modi regime on a larger, multi-layered, political, parliamentary, institutional and social canvas than limiting it to a “narrow risk-laden technicalities” of litigation, according to people aware of the matter. The party’s demand from day one for “a Supreme Court-monitored probe” into the alleged phone-hacking stemmed from the possibility of far more sensitive Pegasus targets tumbling out, thus either prompting the apex court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter or a group of directly affected targets with “personal or institutional local standi” in the mater moving the court collectively, said the people.These views, they said, emerged during internal discussions among Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and the party’s legal eagles like Abhishek Manu Singhvi. “The Congress never moved the Supreme Court as a litigant on the Rafale corruption issue and instead we fought it out on larger political and institutional fields, and that is why our fight has sustained and grown despite the court dismissing, on technicality of legal points, the petition filed by some individuals in the matter,” said a senior Congress MP, who did not wish to be identified. The MP also pointed out that an “institutional move” too has been made with a parliamentary committee deciding to take up the matter. “The Congress has not moved the Supreme Court against Pegasus. While we have per se no issue with some individual MP of some other political party moving the court against Pegasus issue, if the government tries to cite the petition to muffle the opposition voices in Parliament by arguing the matter is now sub judice, it won’t work. Given the magnitude of the Pegasus issue, wisdom warrants well thought out collective moves than hasty solo shows,” said the MP.The Congress camp pointed out that not only Rahul Gandhi but also Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee only “appealed to” the apex court to “order an inquiry” into the Pegasus. “As things grow bigger with more expose, the like-minded political parties can collectively frame strategy,” said an AICC functionary.