"Was Offered Pegasus Spyware For Rs 25 Crore, Rejected It": Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee said Pegasus had approached the Bengal police department five years back "to sell their machines" and demanded Rs 25 crore for it.

Mamata Banerjee today said her government had turned down an offer to buy Israeli spyware Pegasus a few years ago. The use of the spyware to snoop on political rivals is "not acceptable", the Bengal Chief Minister told reporters.

"They came to our police department to sell their machines. They demanded Rs 25 crore for it, five years back. It came to me, I said no we don't want to buy such machines," Mamata Banerjee said.

"If it was for anti-national activities and for security, it could have been a different thing. But it is used for political reasons, it's used against officials and judges, which is not acceptable," she added.

A political cataclysm followed allegations that the Pegasus spyware - sold only to governments - was allegedly used to target opposition leaders, journalists and others in India.