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In a statement in the Lok Sabha, Union Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw questioned the timing of the report and said illegal surveillance was impossible with checks and balances in place.
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He flagged some chinks in the Pegasus story, while reiterating his predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad’s statement when the issue first surfaced in Parliament last year.
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The IT Minister told the Lok Sabha that the report’s timing — a day before the session — could not be a coincidence. “There is no substance behind this sensationalism,” Vaishnaw informed Parliament, arguing three points: “The publisher of the report states that it can’t say if the phone numbers on the published list were under surveillance; the company whose technology was allegedly used has denied these claims; the time tested processes in our country are well-established to ensure that unauthorised surveillance does not occur”.