BJP demands CBI probe into Rajasthan phone tap
WAR OF WORDS Cong says demand shows ‘admission of guilt’; Centre seeks report
NEWDELHI:/JAIPUR: Two days after the Congress party alleged that it has audio tapes purportedly containing conversations detailing a plot to topple the Rajasthan government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded on Saturday a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into what it called a “saga of illegalities and concocted lies” and wondered whether the state adopted “unconstitutional” methods to tap into the phones of politicians.
The Congress, which rules the desert state, hit back within hours, saying the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe amounted to “admission of guilt” and that it is attempting to “murder” the democracy. It reiterated that the BJP is behind former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot’s rebellion that has triggered a political crisis in the state.
Later in the day, the Union home ministry sought a report from the Rajasthan chief secretary on the phone tapping allegations , officials said, according to news agency PTI. The chief secretary has been told to provide the details of the incident after two audio clips emerged, it reported.
At a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, party spokesperson Sambit Patra threw a volley of questions at the Congress. “Was phone tapping done? The Congress government in Rajasthan must answer. Is it not a sensitive and legal issue..?” he said.
“Assuming that you’ve tapped phones, was the SOP [standard operating procedures] followed? The people of Rajasthan want to know whether their privacy has been compromised. Did the Congress government in Rajasthan use unconstitutional ways to save themselves when they found themselves cornered?” Patra asked. The political tug of war intensified after the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police registered two first information reports (FIRs) on Friday on a Congress complaint alleging a conspiracy to dislodge the government.
THE ACB HAS FILED A CASE AGAINST CONG MLA BHANWARLAL SHARMA, GAJENDRA SINGH AND SANJAY JAIN, UNDER THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT
NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: The Centre on Saturday sought a report from the Rajasthan chief secretary on allegations of phone tapping after audio clips of conversations purportedly regarding a “conspiracy” to topple the state’s Congress government emerged amid the ongoing political crisis in the state, officials said.
The ministry of home affairs has asked the chief secretary to send a report on the allegations of phone tapping, an official said.
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has registered a case against Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and suspected middleman Sanjay Jain, under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act following a complaint by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi.
“On the basis of statement given by chief whip (in the Rajasthan assembly) Mahesh Joshi, we have registered a case against Sardarshahr MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, Union minister Gajendra Singh and Sanjay Jain under section 7 (public servant accepts or attempts to take bribe) and 7A (public servant obtaining undue advantage) of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” an ACB official said.
Joshi, had on Thursday, filed a complaint with the Special Operations Group (SOG) and handed over audio tapes to back his charges. “His (Joshi’s) complaint was based on the three audio tapes, which purportedly have conversations detailing the plot to destabilize the government (in Rajasthan),” the ACB official said, on condition of anonymity.
In his statement, Joshi said he could identify Sharma’s voice in the audio tapes. However, he said, he was unable to identify the other two voices. Sharma could not be contacted for a response.
The purported audio tapes contain conversations about a conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government. Both Sharma and Shekhawat have denied the charges.
The three have also been booked by the state police’s special operations group for allegedly destabilizing the government under section 124A (sedition) and 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the state on Saturday asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan resorted to “unconstitutional” methods to tap the phones of politicians and demanded a CBI probe into what it called a “saga of illegalities and concocted lies”. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said senior Congress leaders, including chief minister Gehlot, have been claiming that these audio clips are authentic even though the FIR registered by police does not say so.