TMC attacks Centre over Pegasus again; blames PM Modi for Monsoon session disruption

As the Parliament's Winter Session commenced on Monday, the Opposition has stepped up its ante against the Centre on a series of issues, mainly the three farm laws. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he assured that the government is ready to discuss all issues. In addition, he also assured that the Union government will also answer all questions. Taking to Twitter, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien attacked PM Modi. 

O'Brien responded to PM Modi and has termed his statement as 'hollow words'. Moreover, he has claimed that PM Modi refused to discuss the Pegasus issue. Additionally, he has also held the Prime Minister responsible for 'disrupting' the full Monsoon Session, in spite of the massive ruckus and repeated sloganeering by the opposition at the time. Speaking about farm laws, the TMC parliamentarian remarked that the union government 'broke all rules and bulldozed farm laws' in the Parliament. 

SC forms Expert Panel to probe Pegasus Snoopgate allegations

On October 27, the Supreme Court bench led by CJI NV Ramana appointed a technical committee to probe the Pegasus snoopgate allegations. CJI Ramana had remarked that privacy is important for all citizens and also said that restrictions can be imposed only to safeguard national security. In addition, he asserted that surveillance affects the rights of the people, he opined that this technology may have a chilling effect on the freedom of the press. 

The technical committee comprises of three members- National Forensic Sciences University Dean Dr. Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham professor Dr. Prabhakaran P and IIT Bombay professor Dr. Ashwin Anil Gumaste. The functioning of this committee will be overseen by retired Supreme Court judge RV Raveendran and will be assisted by ex-IPS officer Alok Joshi and cyber security expert Dr. Sundeep Oberoi. The panel has been directed to prepare the report after a thorough inquiry and place its report before the SC expeditiously. 

'Farm laws to be repealed': Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

On November 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will officially repeal the three farm laws in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament. PM Modi was speaking on the occasion of Guru Parab and said that a section of farmers remained unconvinced of the benefits of the Farm laws in spite of multiple rounds of talks. In addition, he also requested the protesting farmers to head home. Moreover, the Prime Minister informed that in order to strengthen the Minimum Support Price (MSP) structure, an agricultural committee will be formed. PM Modi's huge announcement comes ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where most protesting farmers hail from.