7 Oppn Parties Seek President Kovind's Intervention Over Pegasus, Farm Laws

Congress and Trinamool Congress are not signatories of the letter addressed to the President.

File image of President Ram Nath Kovind.

(Photo: PTI)

Seven Opposition parties have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and sought his time to apprise him of two "disturbing" developments, namely, the long-pending demand of the farmers to repeal the agricultural laws, and the recent Pegasus Project report.

The signatories of the letter are Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Nationalist Congress Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and Rashtriya Lok Dal.

"We seek your intervention to uphold the dignity of the Constitution of India and parliamentary rules and procedures. The country is going through an Emergency-like situation and the Parliament is going through an unprecedented crisis."

The Opposition parties' letter

As per the letter, the MPs have sought an enquiry into the reports of usage Israeli spyware Pegasus for purpose of surveilling high-level officials, activists, journalists and urged the President to direct the central government to hear the Pegasus Project row and the unending farmer protests in the ongoing Parliament session.

Amid the monsoon session, the Parliament has seen repeated disruptions by the Opposition over the Pegasus Project reports and other issues, with very little business being conducted since the session began on 19 July.

The letter stresses that a "human tragedy" is unfolding at the Delhi borders with over 550 farmers having lost their lives amid protests against the Narendra Modi government's farm laws and underlines that despite the reports of probable usage of surveillance software, the Centre has refused a probe into the issue.