The government said that the reports of Pegasus software being used to allegedly tap phones of prominent personalities in India, appearing a day before the Monsoon Session of the Parliament is ‘not a coincidence’. Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter and said that the report has been amplified by sections ‘who want to humiliate India globally’.

“Late last evening we saw a report which has been amplified by a few sections to humiliate India globally. Disruptors will not be able to derail India’s development trajectory through conspiracies. Monsoon session will bear new fruits,” Shah said in a tweet.

In a detailed statement in the Lok Sabha, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the company, whose software was allegedly used for spying has ‘outrightly denied’ the claims.

Addressing a press conference later, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also questioned the timing of the story and asked – “why these kinds of questions are raised at the time of important events? Riots were incited during Trump’s visit, Pegasus story was circulated during 2019 polls and again it’s in the news when Parliament is in session and when Congress is in a very bad situation.” 

Stressing that the press reports ‘appear to be an attempt to malign the Indian democracy and its well-established institutions’, Vaishnaw said that the reports have ‘no factual basis’.

Company whose technology was allegedly used has denied the claims: Vaishnaw

“In the past, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp. Those reports had no factual basis and were denied by all parties. Press reports of 18 July ’21 also appear to be an attempt to malign Indian democracy & its well-established institutions,” the IT Minister said in the Lok Sabha.

“A highly sensational story was published by a web portal last night. Many over-the-top allegations were made around this story. The press reports appeared a day before the monsoon session of Parliament. This can’t be a coincidence,” he further said.

Vaishnaw highlighted a finding in the report that ‘presence of a phone number in the data does not reveal whether a device was infected with Pegasus or subject to an attempted hack’, thus substantiating the government’s claim that the allegations were ‘false’. 

“Without subjecting a phone to this technical analysis, it is not possible to conclusively state whether it witnessed an attack attempt or was successfully compromised,” he said while further citing the excerpts of the report. While underlining the efficiency of the existing infrastructure within the country, Vaishnaw said that the company whose technology was allegedly used has denied the claims.