No transactions with Israel-based Pegasus maker, claims Defence Ministry

The Defence Ministry on Monday stated that it has nothing to do with Israel-based NSO Group Technologies. While responding to a question posed by V Sivadasan in the Rajya Sabha on whether the government had carried out any transaction with NSO Group, Minister of State (Defence) Ajay Bhatt said, "Ministry of Defence has not had any transaction with NSO Group Technologies." V Sivadasan is a member of the Rajya Sabha and a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader.

Ever since the onset of the monsoon session of the Parliament, both the houses have witnessed disruptions with the opposition demanding a discussion on the Pegasus scandal. A media consortium had revealed that an NSO Group Technologies spyware called Pegasus enables the remote surveillance of smartphones of politicians, activists, journalists and others.

"The opposition parties stand firm and united on their demand for a discussion on the Pegasus issue in both the Houses, replied to by the Home Minister, as this has national security dimensions," read the joint statement of like-minded opposition parties issued last week. They further added that a discussion on farmers' issues and the three controversial farm laws passed by the union government last year must follow the one on Pegasus.

"It is unfortunate that the government has unleashed a misleading campaign to malign the combined opposition and blame it for the continued disruption in Parliament. The responsibility for the deadlock lies squarely at the doorstep of the government, which remains arrogant and obdurate and refuses to accept the opposition's demand for an informed debate in both the Houses," it said.

"It urges the government to respect parliamentary democracy and accept the discussions," the opposition added.

Last week, while hearing a slew of petitions demanding a probe into the spyware, the Supreme Court had also remarked that the allegations are serious if the reports are true.