Kolkata/Amravati: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that the cyber security company that makes Pegasus had approached the state police 4-5 years ago and offered to supply the controversial Israeli spyware for just Rs 25 crore, but when she came to know about it. So he turned it down.
Banerjee claimed that the central government bought spyware and used it against judges and officials for “political” gains instead of using it for the country’s security. However, the Telugu Desam Party on Wednesday rejected Banerjee’s claim that the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had bought spyware during his tenure.
Banerjee claimed at the state secretariat, “They (NSO, the maker of Pegasus) had approached everyone to sell their goods. They had also approached our police four-five years ago and offered to sell it for Rs 25 crore. When I got the information, I said we don’t need it.”
He said, “If it was used for the benefit or security of the country, it would have been a completely different matter, but it was used for political purposes, against judges, officials, which cannot be accepted at all. “
The Bengal Chief Minister revealed in the Assembly on Wednesday that her government was offered Pegasus spyware, which she rejected as it would have affected the privacy of the people. During this, he had claimed that the Andhra Pradesh government had bought this spyware during the tenure of Chandrababu Naidu.
The Telugu Desam Party, however, denied the claim and said that the Chandrababu Naidu government had not made any such purchases. Telugu Desam Party general secretary N. Lokesh said in Amravati on Thursday, “We have never bought any spyware. We have never been involved in any illegal phone tapping case.”
Lokesh, who was the Minister of Information Technology in the Naidu government, said on Banerjee’s claim, “I don’t know if he actually said so, and if so, where and in what context.” If he has said so, then surely he has been misinformed.” However, he said the software was offered to the state government. Lokesh said, “Yes, Pegasus also offered to sell its spyware to the Andhra Pradesh government, but we rejected it.”(agency)