Jammu, July 21: The Congress today launched a frontal attack on the Modi Govt. over the startling expose of alleged phone hacking of various important personalities including Constitutional functionaries, top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and his staff, journalists, lawyers, and others and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe besides seeking resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Addressing a press conference at party HQ here today, Chief Spokesperson of party Ravinder Sharma along with Former Minister & Vice President PCC Shri Raman Bhalla and General Secretaries Th. Balwan Singh(Ex-MLA) and Th. Manmohan Singh said that there are shocking revelations & claims in the national and international media about the alleged phone tapping and access to the privacy of very important functionaries including top media heads and Journalists, Lawyers, judges, former heads of security agencies including own Ministers of Modi Govt.
Sharma said that the Israel Spyware – Pegasus NSO has a categoric policy of not making available its spying technology & product to any other organization other than sovereign governments, as such all this is not possible without the Govt. and its agencies, so BJP Govt. is lying by denying about this and including in illegal & unconstitutional activity.
He said that such a serious matter which is a direct assault on the national security and is totally illegal & unconstitutional as per Indian law and is a crime needs a thorough probe by the Apex Court beside the Home Minister Shri Amit Shah should be asked to resign, till the probe, owning responsibility for alleged breach of national security.
The party questioned that when the Israel Spyware Co. NSO has a policy to provide the technology for detection of crime and terrorism, to Govts. & its security agencies only, what kind of crime & terrorism was being detected by the alleged spying of constitutional authorities, opposition leaders, lawyers, heads of security agencies, and Ministers of the Modi Govt. This is a very serious matter which has threatened the national security and privacy of anyone in this country as such only a highest level probe and a white paper in the parliament by the Govt. is the need of the hour. Everyone feels, scared, panicked & threatened in view of the claims in the big expose as no citizen and his or her freedom and privacy is safe.
The senior Congress leaders announced that as part of the nationwide call, the Congress party shall hold a protest march in Jammu tomorrow and march towards Raj Bhawan from Shaheedi Chowk Jammu pressing for their demand for a high level probe and action.
Shri Raman Bhalla also raked up the issue of amendment of domicile law, facilitating domicile rights to those outsiders marrying girls from J&K. He said that Govt. is opening flood gates to open up land and jobs to outsiders at the cost of J&K residents, which is against their overall interests. BJP has betrayed people, as uit had promised that lands & jobs will be protected for locals only even after the abrogation of Art-370.