HYDERABAD – K. Laxman, Rajya Sabha MP and President of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national OBC morcha, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of illegal phone tapping by the police during the tenure of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The BJP leader has also called for punitive action against those involved in the alleged illicit activity.
Laxman’s demand for a CBI probe comes in the wake of allegations that the Telangana police had illegally tapped the phones of select individuals, including politicians, journalists, businesspersons, and bureaucrats, during Rao’s regime. The BJP leader has accused the current Telangana Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy’s Government, of turning a blind eye to the issue.
Speaking at a press conference held at the BJP State office in Hyderabad on Thursday, Laxman said, “Illegal phone surveillance on politicians, journalists, businesspersons, bureaucrats and others is snatching away their fundamental rights and is a serious offence.”
He further added that since Israeli equipment was allegedly used for the surveillance, the case has now become an inter-State issue and hence, necessitates a CBI investigation.
The BJP leader’s demand for a CBI probe into the alleged phone tapping scandal has turned up the heat on the Telangana Government, putting it in a tight spot. It remains to be seen how the government responds to these allegations.
