Shashi Tharoor on India’s Pegasus Spyware Scandal and Narendra Modi’s Coronavirus Disaster

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Shashi Tharoor MP, one of India’s most renowned authors and a heavyweight of the Indian National Congress. He discusses the Pegasus Spyware leaks that have showed 40 journalists, the leader of the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi and two serving union ministers were on a list of potential targets and the serious implications these have on an India arguably turning increasingly authoritarian under Narendra Modi and the Hindu-nationalist right-wing BJP. He also discusses India’s Coronavirus catastrophe, the paradox of a slow vaccination drive despite India being the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and relations with the People’s Republic of China.

NSO Spokesperson:

“Enough is enough!
“In light of the recent planned and well-orchestrated media campaign lead by Forbidden Stories and pushed by special interest groups, and due to the complete disregard of the facts, NSO is announcing it will no longer be responding to media inquiries on this matter and it will not play along with the vicious and slanderous campaign.
“We will state again:
“The list is not a list of targets or potential targets of Pegasus.
“The numbers in the list are not related to NSO group.
“Any claim that a name in the list is necessarily related to a Pegasus target or Pegasus potential target is erroneous and false.
“NSO is a technology company. We do not operate the system, nor do we have access to the data of our customers, yet they are obligated to provide us with such information under investigations.
“NSO will thoroughly investigate any credible proof of misuse of its technologies, as we always had, and will shut down the system where necessary.
“NSO will continue its mission of saving lives, helping governments around the world prevent terror attacks, break up pedophilia, sex, and drug-trafficking rings, locate missing and kidnapped children, locate survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, and protect airspace against disruptive penetration by dangerous drones.”