SNOOPING ‘CONTROVERSY’: Ban Amnesty’s activities in India, demands Assam CM
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday condemned the alleged “international conspiracies against India’s democratic fabric and its leadership” in the wake of charges of snooping on journalists, politicians, ministers, judges and others using Israeli Pegasus spyware.
Addressing newsmen here, Sarma said that Left-wing organisations, including Amnesty International, are part of this “pre-planned conspiracy, when India had been smoothly conducting its COVID-19 vaccination process in its battle against the virus.
“The story has been broken by international media, and they have said that Amnesty is a partner. So I demand the government of India to ban activities of organisations like Amnesty, which are hellbent on defaming and harming our nation,” the chief minister said.
The Opposition Congress has stepped up its attack on the government over the Pegasus snooping controversy and demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Slamming the Opposition, Sarma said in India, there is a proper system of telephone surveillance as per law, and that the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi “will never compromise with the unity and integrity of the country”.
“On behalf of the people of Assam, we repose full faith in the Prime Minister. The world community acknowledges our Prime Minister’s leadership as one of the most decisive,” he said.
“Our principal Opposition party, which is the Congress, is creating a ruckus in Parliament. But their records are questionable. In 2013, in a reply to an RTI, the then UPA government had admitted that they were doing surveillance of 5000 phones and 5000 email accounts,” the chief minister said.
“We out rightly condemn Amnesty’s activities and people of India know why you have enacted such a drama a day before the Parliament,” Sarma said, warning the organisation to refrain from such activities.
(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)
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