GEHLOT DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF PHONE-TAPPING AGAINST HIM

JODHPUR: Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday denied the phone-tapping allegations levelled against him by his former officer on special duty (OSD) Lokesh Sharma, saying no MP or MLA’S phone was tapped during his tenure.

The senior Congress leader’s rebuttal came two days after Sharma claimed that three audio clips, including that of an alleged telephonic conversation between Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on “toppling” the Gehlot government in July 2020, was given to him by the former chief minister.

“You should understand in one line that whichever party has been in government, telephones of MLAS and MPS have never been tapped,” Gehlot told reporters in Jodhpur.

Reacting to his former OSD’S allegations, Gehlot said he was not aware of the charges. “I don’t want to respond to whatever was said. One should not worry about who says what in the present environment of the country,” he added.

On Wednesday, Sharma claimed that the then chief minister Ashok Gehlot had given him audio clips through a pen drive and asked him to circulate it to the media. He further alleged that the pen drive purportedly carried a telephonic conversation between Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and some Congress leaders about “toppling” the Gehlot government.

The phone-tapping controversy erupted around July 2020, when Congress leader and then deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 party legislators supporting him revolted against Gehlot’s leadership.