Ask Israel, why WhatsApp: AIMIM chief Owaisi to Centre over ‘snooping’ row

"The Israeli Ambassador should be summoned and asked as to why their company listened to our phones? But, you (government) are not asking the Israeli company, instead you are questioning WhatsApp. Why are you afraid to ask," Owaisi said.

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AMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi demanded that the Centre should ask Israel how its surveillance firm targeted some 1,400 WhatsApp users with the spyware Pegasus.

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday lashed out at the BJP-led Central government over the ‘snooping’ controversy and demanded that it should ask Israel how their firm targeted some 1,400 WhatsApp users with the Pegasus spyware.

Addressing a public meeting in Hyderabad, Owaisi said, “Now it has been learnt that an Israeli company listened to WhatsApp conversations. The Israeli Ambassador should be summoned and asked as to why their company listened to our phones? But, you (government) are not asking the Israeli company, instead, you are questioning WhatsApp. Why are you afraid to ask.”

Facebook-owned platform WhatsApp on Thursday revealed that journalists and human rights activists in India were among the 1400 targets of surveillance by operators using Israeli firm NSO’s spyware Pegasus.

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In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco, WhatsApp accused NSO of facilitating government hacking sprees in 20 countries. Following the disclosure, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sought an explanation from WhatsApp on the matter asking them to list out the measures the company has taken to safeguard the privacy of its Indian users.

In the same breath, Owaisi also assailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying mum on issues like unemployment, poverty and rising commodity prices.

Referring to a slip in India’s ranking in the Global Hunger Index from 95 in 2018 to 102 this year, Owaisi said, “You (Narendra Modi) have been the Prime Minister for five years. You got more than 300 seats (Lok Sabha). We want to ask one question Modi ji, how it happened?”

“You have brought India to such a situation. Is this your nationalism. Shame on you. Twenty crore people sleep empty stomach daily in our country and you talk big things. BJP and RSS make fun of the poor,” the AIMIM chief said.

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Owaisi further said while 24 per cent of post-graduate and degree-holders in the country were unemployed, Prime Minister was busy signing agreement on RCEP in Thailand.

Raking up the ongoing tussle between BJP and Shiv Sena over government formation in Maharashtra, Owaisi said, “They (BJP and Shiv Sena) fought (the elections) together. Now after elections, it’s 50:50… They should think of the people of Maharashtra. Rains in Satara (district) have destructed crops, and farmers are in distress, but they are not worried about it.”

He said the AIMIM has decided that it would neither support the BJP nor the Shiv Sena in formation of the government in that state.

“Uddhav Thackeray, you first get the resignation from your minister from Delhi (central government). If you want your Chief Minister, then you cannot ride on two horses. Shiv Sena, you decide. It seems Uddhav Thackeray is afraid of Modi,” PTI quoted Owaisi as saying.

(With inputs from PTI)

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