Criticising the former TDP government over the alleged use of spyware Pegasus technology to tap and hack the phones of the then opposition leaders, YSRCP Denduluru MLA Abbaya Chaudhary demanded the party supremo to come clean on the charges of purchasing Pegasus spyware during his regime in the state. It may be noted here West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banaerjee revealed that the Chandrababu Naidu government had bought the Pegasus spyware. The TDP, however, has rejected the claims saying, ‘We never indulged in illegal phone tapping.”

The YSRCP legislator while addressing a press conference in Eluru of West Godavari district on Saturday said the TDP leader in the recent past raised questions over his phone tapping and now there are allegations that his government reportedly bough the spyware to keep an eye on rival party leaders. The ruling party wants to know if his government had issued the GO 184 which authorises the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence department to tap the telephones, mobile phones and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the Denduluru MLA posed questions to the former chief minister in the press meet.

The ruling party MLA asked if the TDP government was clean then why Chandrababu Naidu and Nara Lokesh were threatening to file defamation cases against those who are speaking on the spyware issue? The opposition leaders can’t seem to acknowledge or reject the comments made by the chief minister of West Bengal, he added.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee's Pegasus Revelation Has Exposed TDP's True Colors, Says Ambati

A New York Times report in January claimed that India had purchased Pegasus from the Israeli NSO Pegasus spyware company as part of USD 2 billion defence deal in 2017. This revelation led to a huge furore in the Parliament as the opposition parties tried to corner the Modi government over the surveillance of BJP rivals and dissenters and civil society.