Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national OBC morcha president K. Laxman has turned the heat on the Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s Government by demanding a CBI probe into the illegal phone tapping by the police on select persons during the regime of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He has also demanded action to be taken against those involved in the nefarious activity as well those behind it.
“Illegal phone surveillance on politicians, journalists, businesspersons, bureaucrats and others is snatching away their fundamental rights and is a serious offence. Since Israeli equipment has been used, the case has to be investigated by the CBI as it has become an inter-State issue,” he told a press conference held at the BJP State office in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The BJP leader pointed out that three illegal snooping centres were run during the KCR government’s tenure and that evidence was being destroyed by those involved in the phone tapping. This indicated, he said, the seriousness of the crime as it was used for extortion by select police officials and political blackmail.
“Why is Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K.T. Rama Rao making light of the issue? Was the illegal phone tapping done without his Government’s knowledge when the guilty officers had admitted to be following orders? The Government should not spare anyone found guilty whether it is KCR or KTR. Only those with dictatorial tendencies order such activities,” he maintained and alleged that during the KCR regime every scheme was a scam involving the first family.
Mr. Laxman taunted the Chief Minister if he would be satisfied by merely giving leaks to the media or does he have the gumption to take the investigations to the logical end and to punish those responsible for the snooping which has become an unprecedented criminal activity not seen anywhere in the country.
“The responsibility lies with Mr. Revanth Reddy to ferret out the truth and convince the people that he is not using it as a propaganda tool during the elections. He has promised a lot about acting against the scams during the BRS Government, but has delivered little so far in the last 100 days, whether it is in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, Dharani revenue portal, land grabbing and others,” he charged.
The MP also warned against both the BRS and Congress parties using the illegal phone-tapping issue to divert the real issues confronting the people, or away from the political winds in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Telangana.
