'Targeted twice': Suspect Pegasus was bought by Jagan govt off the books, says TDP's Nara Lokesh

TDP leader Nara Lokesh said there were indications that the YSRCP government acquired Pegasus off the books.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Nara Lokesh alleged that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government tapped his phone as he received such alerts from Apple twice.

"I have been targeted twice, once during my Yuva Galam yatra in March 2023 and once this April during campaigning," he told The Indian Express, while adding that his father Andhra Pradesh CM-designate N Chandrababu Naidu's phone was also attacked.

Both the father and the son suspect that Pegasus was used by the Jagan Mohan government to tap their phones. Designed by Israel's NSO Group, Pegasus is a spyware used to gain access to phone's data remotely.

Lokesh told The Indian Express that there were indications that the previous (YSRCP) government acquired Pegasus off the books and operated it from a location outside Andhra Pradesh. "We want to know from where it was procured and from which location it was operated and who all were targeted," he said.

The TDP general secretary further alleged that the Jagan government even destroyed evidence upon realising that it was not going to remain in power in the state.

Chandrababu Naidu has sought a report from the top cop on whether Pegasus was used to tap the phones belonging to him and his son by the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.

The TDP chief is poised to take oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on June 12. The Telugu Desam Party won 16 Lok Sabha and 135 seats in Andhra and has emerged as a key player in the National Democratic Alliance that is set to form the government again at the Centre as well as in the state.

Lokesh on Friday reaffirmed TDP's commitment to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Narendra Modi's leadership.

"We joined NDA unconditionally before elections; we will continue to be in NDA unconditionally... We believe that he (Modi) should be the Prime Minister of India and there is no second thought about it," he added.