BJP for CBI probe into ‘snooping’
Phone surveillance on politicians, journalists, businesspersons and bureaucrats, is snatching away their fundamental rights and is a serious offence, says Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman
Rajya Sabha member and BJP national OBC morcha president K. Laxman has turned the heat on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s government by demanding a CBI probe into the illegal phonetapping by police on select persons during the regime of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He has also demanded action against those involved in the nefarious activity.
“Phone surveillance on politicians, journalists, businesspersons and bureaucrats, is snatching away their fundamental rights and is a serious offence. Since Israeli equipment has been used, the case has to be investigated by the CBI. It has become an interState issue,” he told a press conference at the BJP office in Hyderabad on Thursday.
He pointed out that three illegal snooping centres were run during former CM KCR’s tenure and that evidence was being destroyed by those involved in phonetapping. This indicated, he said, the seriousness of the crime as it was used for extortion by select police officials and political blackmail.
“Why is BRS MLA K.T. Rama Rao making light of the issue? Was phonetapping done without his government’s knowledge when the guilty officers had admitted to be following orders? The government should not spare anyone found guilty whether it is KCR or KTR. Only those with dictatorial tendencies order such activities,” he said, and alleged that during the KCR regime every scheme was a scam involving the first family.
Mr. Laxman taunted the Chief Minister if he would be satisfied by merely giving leaks to the media or does have the gumption to take the investigations to the logical end and punish those responsible for snooping.
“The responsibility lies with Mr. Revanth Reddy to ferret out the truth and convince people that he is not using it as a propaganda tool during the elections. He has promised a lot about acting against scams during the BRS government, but has delivered little so far in the last 100 days, whether it is in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, Dharani revenue portal, land grabbing and others,” he charged.