Snooping Row: Rahul Gandhi Jabs Govt For Seeking WhatsApp's Response, Equates it to Modi Asking Dassault 'Who Made Money' From Rafale
The government of India on Thursday directed WhatsApp to explain the snooping incident on Indian journalists, activists, lawyers and government officials. The former Congress president took to Twitter to question the government on Israeli spyware Pegasus snooping on several Indians after the social media platform confirmed surveillance.
New Delhi, October 31: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a 'Rafale jets deal' jibe at the Narendra Modi government and on the Prime Minister on Thursday by citing reports on the government asking WhatsApp to explain the privacy breach that led to snooping on Indian journalists and people from several fields. The former Congress president took to Twitter to question the government on Israeli spyware Pegasus snooping on several Indians after the social media platform confirmed surveillance. However, Gandhi used the wrong spelling of WhatsApp in his tweet. WhatsApp Says Israeli Spyware Pegasus Was Used to Snoop on Indian Journalists, Dalit Activists.
Gandhi once again brought up the Rafale jet issue and wrote in his tweet that, "The Govt seeking WhatsAop’s response on who bought Pegasus to spy on Indian citizens, is like Modi asking Dassault who made money on the sale of RAFALE jets to India!(sic)." WhatsApp Snooping Row: Government Directs Messaging App to Explain Privacy Breach After Social Media Platform Confirms Surveillance Through Israeli Spyware Pegasus.
Read Gandhi's Tweet Below
The government of India on Thursday directed WhatsApp to explain the snooping incident on Indian journalists, activists, lawyers and government officials. While WhatsApp did not reveal the identities of those who were snooped, it said that it had contacted them and informed them about the spyware. WhatsApp alerted them that their phones had been under state-of-the-art surveillance for a two-week period until May 2019, The Indian Express reported. The Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The results were declared on May 23.
Rahul Gandhi, who left for abroad again for meditation on Monday, will join the Congress's protest in its last leg. Defending Rahul Gandhi's absence, the Congress party said that he was instrumental in planning the scheduled demonstration. The Congress party on Wednesday downplayed Rahul Gandhi's absence from the party's planned protest against the Modi government on the economic slowdown in the country.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2019 09:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).