Pavan K. Varma | Pegashush! It’s ‘another’ international conspiracy Published Jul 25, 2021, 12:53 am IST Updated Jul 25, 2021, 12:53 am IST This is precisely what we are seeing in the response of the BJP and the government to the Pegasus saga News. In the days of the Emergency, any protest, dissent, or critique of the government was immediately labelled as proof of a CIA or KGB conspiracy. It was a reflex way to deflect the issue, and however incredulous it may have sounded, the powers that be at that time thought that it was a fitting riposte. Basically, it showed a bankruptcy of ideas, a decisively authoritarian bent of mind, a preference of bluster over argument, a disconnect with ground reality, and a siege mentality.