Telangana phone tapping case: Revanth defends SIT notice to KCR

Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday, February 2, defended the Special Investigation Team’s notice to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) in the alleged phone tapping case.

Taking a dig at the Gajwel MLA, Reddy said, “When people reject you, you must accept defeat and step down.” The CM addressed a gathering at an award function in Hyderabad and said that if someone chooses the wrong path they must be ready to face consequences.

Questions BRS narrative

He also criticised the BRS for projecting KCR as the “Father of Telangana”. “Some people are claiming that the SIT Notice to KCR was an attack on Telangana; this is not acceptable in a democracy,” Reddy said.

Questioning the BRS’s narrative, the CM asked, “Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his life for the nation; what sacrifice did KCR make?”

Cites examples of arrest during BRS rule

The CM also defended SIT interrogation of KCR, citing the arrest of opposition leaders during the BRS rule in Telangana, alleging that people were forcefully taken into custody back then. “Where was the concern for democratic values then?” Reddy asked.

SIT questions KCR

The Telangana CM’s remarks came a day after KCR was questioned by the SIT regarding the alleged phone tapping case on February 1.

The case pertains to allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving politicians, businessmen, journalists, members of the judiciary, and other prominent individuals during the previous BRS government.

KTR, T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar have appeared before the SIT on January 23, January 20, and January 27, respectively, in connection with the case.

Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, has already been questioned by the SIT.