On Tuesday, Parliament was rocked by protests over the alleged targeting of prominent politicians, journalists, constitutional authorities, and even sitting ministers by Israeli spyware, with opposition lawmakers repeatedly disrupting both Houses and demanding urgent debates on the issue.
The Lok Sabha did not conduct any business, but the Rajya Sabha did hold a debate later in the day on the country’s Covid-19 situation.
The snarl-up came a day after a global investigative consortium revealed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, election strategist Prashant Kishor, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee, and two sitting Union ministers were among those named in the report.
“There are issues of concern. We should not read only in the newspapers or see it on the TV,” said Congress’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, demanding a debate.
To be clear, the presence of a phone number does not imply that it was hacked; rather, it indicates that it was of interest. It is impossible to conclusively establish that the phones associated with these numbers were hacked in the absence of digital forensics of specific devices.
The Congress and the TMC had given notice under Rule 267 that they would suspend other business and debate the Pegasus controversy. Similarly, the YSR Congress issued a statement demanding a special package for Andhra Pradesh. MPs rushed down to the Well of the House in the Lok Sabha over the Pegasus row, oil price hikes, and farm laws.
Opposition members began shouting slogans and holding placards against the government as soon as the Lok Sabha convened at 11 a.m. Within five minutes, the House was adjourned.
Protests resumed when it reassembled at 2 p.m. While people are unemployed, the government is busy with “jasoosi,” according to one of the Hindi placards (spying).
Some Congress members carried placards protesting Gandhi’s inclusion on the list of possible targets. Members of the TMC chanted slogans opposing Banerjee’s phone number being included in the list. Other parties, such as the Shiromani Akali Dal, the YSR Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party, protested over different issues.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the members to restore normalcy, reminding them that it is improper to raise issues from the Well. “You are all senior leaders. Don’t try to create a wrong precedent in the House,” Birla said.
At 3 p.m., the House was finally adjourned for the day.
The Rajya Sabha was also disrupted in the morning, but reconvened in the afternoon for the Covid debate.
In the midst of the protests, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that members had the right to raise important issues, but that “if 15 people give notice under Rule 267 on a variety of issues today, 17 people yesterday, what is the way for the chairman to admit notices and then take the House forward?”
The TMC has stated that it will continue to cause havoc in Parliament until the government addresses the issue.
