Hundreds of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) activists staged a protest in Delhi on Monday over alleged phone tapping using an Israeli surveillance software called Pegasus.
National President of IYC Srinivas B.V. said, "Seven years have passed and he [PM Modi] does not listen to our 'Mann Ki Baat'. After seven years, we got to know that through Pegasus he was listening to 'Mann Ki Baat' while sitting in WhatsApp, gallery, etc." He added that during the British days their business was "spying", even today when they have gone, the business of "spying" continues, when will they improve?
He also accused the Prime Minister of targeting political opponents, journalists, judges, industrialists, his own senior-most ministers and even the leadership of the RSS. "We will not stop till the people involved in the spying case are punished. We demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and a Supreme Court monitored investigation in the spying case," Srinivas said.
IYC's national media in-charge Rahul Rao said that many youth workers marched towards the Parliament over the issue of phone tapping in heavy rain, but the Delhi Police detained many of them. The IYC detainees were taken to Mandir Marg Police station. Several IYC activists then continued protest near its headquarters at Raisina Marg in central Delhi.
The protest comes a day after The Wire on Sunday reported that over 40 journalists, three major opposition figures, one constitutional authority, two serving ministers in the Narendra Modi government, current and former heads and officials of security organisations and scores of business persons were found in the snooping database.
