Hyderabad: A political slugfest broke out in Telangana on Tuesday over phone tapping allegations with both Congress and BJP claiming phones of their leaders were tapped by the previous state government led by BRS, which in turn demanded a thorough probe into the matter.
Also on Tuesday, Union Minister and Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy demanded a judicial inquiry into the phone tapping allegation saying that not only phones of politicians but also businessmen and officials were also tapped.
Alleging that phones of not only politicians but also officials and businessmen were tapped by some police officers who acted “like a mafia”, he urged police officials to act comprehensively in the matter.
Phone tapping is allowed only in matters concerning national security, he said, that too with prior permission of senior officials. Tapping phones for corruption is atrocious, he added.
The phone tapping issue has rocked Telangana with the recent arrest of two additional superintendents of police. Earlier, a DSP was arrested in the case in connection with the alleged phone tapping of opposition leaders and destroying certain computer systems and official data during the previous BRS government.
Kishan Reddy demanded a judicial inquiry into the allegations of phone tapping.
He alleged that BJP office staff who were coming to the party office after withdrawing money from a bank were stopped at the time of 2019 Lok Sabha elections based on details obtained through phone tapping. The money was returned after Income Tax officers and senior police officials came to know about its authenticity, he said.
Proof is emerging that shows that phones of BJP leaders, activists and even BJP office staff were tapped, he claimed.
“I demand a high-level probe, a judicial inquiry on this,” Kishan Reddy said.
Addressing a party meeting, KT Rama Rao, working president of the BRS, accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of distracting the public from issues by selectively leaking information that phone tapping was done during the previous BRS government to certain media channels.
“You (Congress government) promised Rs 2,500 financial assistance to women. It is not being implemented. You promised Rs 4,000 pension to old people. It is not there (not implemented)…In order to cover the failures, you are saying phones were tapped. You are not giving us the details (of phone tapping), but you are giving leaks to youtube channels and some media,” Rama Rao alleged.
He dared Revanth Reddy to probe the issue thoroughly and take action accordingly.
Meanwhile, in a representation to the state’s chief secretary and the Director General of Police, the Telangana Congress cited some news reports asked them to see that the entire administration is “clean and a strict warning be given to officers of all the departments to restrain themselves from malpractices and corruption, in the larger interests of the people of Telangana.”
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