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.