West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief leader Mamata Banerjee attack Bhartiya Janta Party today allegedly use the Israeli software Pegasus for snooping on politicians, activists and journalists and made an open appeal to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar to put together an opposition front to defeat the BJP in 2024 national elections.
She requested to Supreme Court t to take suo motu cognisance into the allegations that the Central government could have used the Pegasus software to hack phones of prominent political opponents and critics. She suggested that the apex court should form a special investigation team in the matter.
During an hour-long virtual address on the TMC’s martyrs’ day, Banerjee said, “I definitely know that my phone was tapped…The only judiciary can save democracy. Oust spying and save the nation,” The big annual event held in the memory of 13 youth Congress workers killed in police firing in Kolkata on July 21, 1993.
“I cannot call up Sharad Pawar Ji, P Chidambaram, the Delhi chief minister or the Odisha chief minister because my phone is tapped. See I have put a plaster on the camera of my phone. Instead of a democratic state, you (BJP) want to have a surveillance state,” said Banerjee. She held up her mobile phone which had brown tape pasted on the backside.
“Before the assembly polls, I was in a meeting with our party leaders. My phone was there. They recorded everything,” she said.
“Modi Ji I am not criticising you as a person but you and Amit Shah Ji have only come up with dark laws. You only want violence and disturbance. India is the land of Swami Vivekananda, Nehru, A P J Abdul Kalam and Bhagat Singh. India needs development and integrity. But all we can see is despair and instability,” said Banerjee.
“Mohabbat kaam se hota hai, maan ki baat bolne se nahi (you can spread love through your work, not by speaking your mind),” said Banerjee, referring to the Prime Minister’s monthly radio show ‘Maan Ki Baat’ through which he addresses the nation. “We have to build up agitation across the nation against rising prices of diesel, petrol and LPG,” said the Bengal chief minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had been the targets of her speech
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