Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that all his phones were tapped, and his security officers had been asked to report on everything he said. He accused the government of using Pegasus spyware as a weapon.
He said that he got phone calls from the officers in the Intelligence Bureau saying his phone is being tapped. "My security people tell me they have to debrief what I say. Even my friends received calls informing them that phones were tapped," he added. While he claimed to have his phones tapped, Mr. Gandhi said that he is not a "potential target".
Rahul Gandhi was revealed to be on the list of potential targets on a leaked database of Israeli company NSO's spyware Pegasus. The list of 300 names from India includes 40 journalists, a virologist, a former CBI chief, two other former CBI officials, industrialist Anil Ambani, two union ministers, and opposition leaders, reported NDTV.
He said that he is not afraid or intimidated by the incident. "In this country, if you are corrupt and a thief, you will be afraid. If you are neither of those, you have nothing to be afraid of," said the Congress leader.
Mr Gandhi also pointed out that only a government can buy Pegasus. "The Prime Minister's signature, or at least the Home Minister's signature, is needed for it. The military of a nation cannot buy Pegasus."
The court-monitored inquiry he had backed was rejected by the union government, reported NDTV. Congress and other opposition parties have been accusing the Modi government of breaching privacy in the scandal related to the use of Pegasus spyware.
The union government has denied the allegations of spying on Indian citizens using Pegasus spyware.