Mamata Banerjee says West Bengal was offered controversial Pegasus spyware for ₹25 crore, 4-5 years ago

“Yes, Pegasus offered to sell its spyware to the Andhra Pradesh government as well but we rejected it,” Telugu Desam Party general secretary Nara Lokesh said

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee revealed that the controversial Pegasus spyware was offered to her government, she provided on March 17 more details, stating the State police was approached at least four to five years back with an offer to sell the controversial Israeli spyware for just ₹25 crore.

The Chief Minister said she had turned it down when she came to know of it. Ms. Banerjee also alleged that instead of using the spyware for the security of the country, it was used by the Central government which she claimed purchased it, for "political" reasons against judges and officials.

However, the Telugu Desam party denied assertions made by her on Wednesday that the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, had purchased the spyware during his tenure.

"They [NSO], the company which developed Pegasus) had approached everybody to sell their ware. They had approached our police too, four-five years ago and offered to sell it for ₹25 crore. I had the information, but I said that we did not require it," Ms. Banerjee said at the State Secretariat.

"If it was used for the benefit of the country or for security reasons then it was a different matter altogether, but it has been used for political purposes, against judges, officers which is not at all welcomed," she alleged.

The Bengal Chief Minister had on Wednesday disclosed in the Assembly that her government was offered Pegasus spyware which she had declined as it had the potential to encroach upon people’s privacy. During her disclosure in the Assembly, the fiery leader had also claimed that the Andhra government “had it during Chandrababu’s [Naidu] time”.

However, the Telegu Desam party refuted the claim and said the Chandrababu Naidu government had made no such purchase. "We have never purchased any spyware. We never indulged in any illegal phone tapping," Telugu Desam Party general secretary Nara Lokesh said in Amaravati on Thursday.