Union minister VK Singh slams NYT report on Pegasus spy software, calls it 'supari media'

Union minister General V K Singh on Saturday called The New York Times 'supari media' over its report which claimed that the Indian government bought the Pegasus spy tool in 2017 as part of a deal with Israel.

The Israeli spyware Pegasus and a missile system were the 'centrepieces' of a roughly USD 2 billion deal of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear between India and Israel in 2017, according to the report in The New York Times.

Reacting to the report, VK Singh questioned NYT's credibility and asked if a news organisation that is known as 'supari media' can be trusted.

Also watch: 'India bought Pegasus spyware in 2017': NYT report causes fresh storm

A massive controversy erupted last year when the NSO Group hit the headlines with the alleged use of its Pegasus software by some governments to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, politicians and others in a number of countries, including India, triggered concerns over issues relating to privacy.