Congress Accuses Centre Of Spending Rs 986 Crore On Pegasus-like Spying Software 'Cognyte'

The Congress party has accused the Centre of attempting to purchase ‘Cognyte’, a spying software similar to Pegasus, for Rs 986 crore to monitor politicians, media, activists, and NGOs.

At a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera stated: “Since Pegasus has become infamous, the government with ‘minimum governance-maximum surveillance’ is looking for a new spyware in the market.”

“I understand that the ruling dispensation hates the opposition but they used spying software on their own ministers,” Khera alleged.

“This country’s ‘2 spies’ do not trust anyone, not even the law and media. That’s why they are spending crores of taxpayers’ money for buying spy software and Israeli technology. They are doing this because the emperor fears that his hollow palace of lies might collapse from one of our truths," he added.

Cognyte, a company that functions similarly to Pegasus, has received less media attention, according to Khera. However, a US law firm alleges that Cognyte resorts to unethical practices to gather information about journalists, opposition leaders and their families.

The Norway Sovereign Wealth Fund has reportedly sold off Cognyte's stocks due to irregularities.

Khera has posed questions to the BJP-led central government regarding the purchase of Cognyte software.

“We want to ask the government which ministry has been given the task to buy this Cognyte software and how much was spent on it. We also urge them to tell us on what rationale this software is being finalised about which very little information is known,” he said.

“Have some communication devices been purchased from Cognyte? If yes, which ministry bought it, and how much did it cost? Is there a new spyware idea to finalise? Has any ministry issued request for proposal? If yes, which ministry is it?” asked Khera.

Cognyte is a “global leader in investigative analytics software that empowers governments and enterprises with Actionable Intelligence for a Safer World,” according to their website.