The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest at Dharna chowk in Hyderabad on Friday demanding a CBI probe into the phone tapping allegations by the state government in Telangana. BJP wondered that despite all the confessions made by police officers involved in the phone tapping, the Revanth Reddy government was not acting against those involved.
BJP said that the people of Telangana want an answer from the Chief Minister. It expressed suspicion that the Chief Minister was under pressure from bigwigs of the Congress party in Delhi not to act against the accused. BJP demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure that those responsible for the illegal phone tapping are held accountable.
BJP MP and OBC Morcha president Dr K. Laxman who claimed to be a victim of phone tapping himself, questioned why the government was relying on questionable means to investigate the case. Laxman, who addressed the gathering, accused BRS Chief KCR of misusing the surveillance system for his own political gain.
He alleged that phone tapping was used to manipulate voters and suppress opponents during by-elections. Laxman also claimed that it was done without the approval of the Centre, in violation of the Telecom Regulatory Act.
Furthermore, Laxman expressed suspicion that KCR may have made a corrupt deal with the Congress leadership, leading to the misuse of power. He also denounced the filing of illegal cases against party leader BL Santosh, suggesting that such actions were a ploy to protect Kavita from a liquor case. Laxman vowed to continue fighting politically and legally until the culprits behind the phone tapping scandal are brought to justice.
Stating that illegal phone surveillance on politicians, journalists, businesspersons, bureaucrats and others was snatching away their fundamental rights and that it was a serious offence, the BJP MP said the case had to be investigated by the CBI as it had become an inter-State issue. Several senior BJP leaders and functionaries took part in the protest.
