Bengal: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the alleged use of the Israeli software Pegasus for snooping on politicians, activists and journalists and made an open appeal to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar to put together an opposition front to defeat the BJP in 2024 national elections.She also urged the Supreme Court to take suomotucognisance into the allegations that the Central government could have used the Pegasus software to hack phones of prominent political opponents and critics. She suggested that the apex court should form a special investigation team in the matter.

“I definitely know that my phone was tapped…Only the judiciary can save democracy. Oust spying and save the nation,” Banerjee said during an hour-long virtual address on the TMC’s martyrs’ day, the big annual event held in the memory of 13 youth Congress workers killed in police firing in Kolkata on July 21, 1993.

Prime Minister NarendraModi and Union home minister Amit Shah became the prime targets in her speech.“Pegasus is bigger than Watergate,” said the Bengal chief minister, referring to the Watergate scandal that rocked the US government and led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

Like last year, Banerjee addressed people virtually due to the Covid pandemic but for the first time, giant screens were installed in public places and TMC offices not only in Bengal but also in states such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. Banerjee spoke in Bengali, English and Hindi to reach out to her audience.

In Delhi, leaders of regional parties assembled at the Constitution Club of India to listen to the speech.

“I will be in Delhi from July 27 to 29. I urge SharadPawarJi (the Nationalist Congress Party chief) to hold a meeting. Mr Prime Minister please don’t disturb us,” said Banerjee.