Mamata Banerjee Claims Chandrababu's Govt Purchased Pegasus Spyware

Kolkata:  Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee revealed in the Assembly on Wednesday, that the controversial Pegasus spyware was offered to her Government, but she declined to purchase it as it had the potential to encroach upon people's privacy. During her disclosure in the Assembly, Mamata Banerjee also claimed that the Andhra Pradesh government had it during N Chandrababu Naidu's time. On Thursday she revealed more details, stating the Bengal State police was approached at least four to five years back with an offer to sell the controversial Israeli spyware for just Rs 25 crore. The chief minister said she had turned it down after getting to know about its intrusion of public privacy.

Banerjee also alleged that instead of using the spyware for the security of the country, it was used by the central government which she claimed purchased it, for "political" reasons against judges and officials. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP)  was quick to deny her allegations that the then chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu had purchased the spyware during his tenure. TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh who was the then Minister for Information Technology in his father Chandrababu's Cabinet, said "We have never purchased any Spyware. We never indulged in any illegal phone tapping.  I don't know whether she has indeed said this, and where and in which context. If she did say this, she is certainly misinformed."

However, he agreed that the software ‘was’ offered to the state government. As of now, the Supreme Court is currently hearing a batch of pleas on the allegations of misuse of the Pegasus spyware in India.

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