New Delhi:
The BJP called on Saturday for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) investigation to determine whether the Rajasthan Congressional government had illegally tapped the phones of state politicians.
The party also asked whether the SOP (standard operating procedure) had been followed before recording the phones of political leaders or whether the government of Ashok Gehlot in the state, which is on the verge of collapse after the open revolt of Sachin Pilot, had quarreled to “run away when cornered”.
Striking “a saga of illegality and concocted lies”, the BJP asked at a press conference today: “These are serious questions we want to ask the Congressional High Command and Ashok Gehlot. The tapes phone calls made? Assuming you registered the phones, was SOP tracked? “
Residents of Rajasthan want to know if their privacy has been compromised, the party said.
The BJP’s hue and cry over “unconstitutional” actions comes a day after Congress said that audio clips revealed that his party’s rebel deputies were plotting with the BJP against the state government.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said one of the voices was that of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the other was Bhanwar Lal Sharma of Congress.
GalacticGaming cannot verify the authenticity of these tapes, and both Sharma and Shekhawat stated that it was not their voice.
Congress demanded that allegations of collusion between rebel lawmakers and the BJP be investigated by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG), which reports to Chief Minister Gehlot.
The SOG filed two FIRs shortly after Mr. Surjewala’s press conference, including one for sedition. Congress called for the arrest of Mr. Sharma.
Meanwhile, Laxmikant Bhardwaj of the BJP filed a lawsuit against several congressional leaders, including Mr. Surjewala, for associating the name of Mr. Shekhawat with the clip.
Ashook Gehlot had ordered an investigation into Rajya Sabha’s elections last month after accusing the BJP of plotting with rebel lawmakers to destabilize his government.
Sachin Pilot denied these rumors, pointing out that Congress had won two of the three proposed seats.
The quivering feud between the two exploded shortly after, when Mr. Pilot received a summons for the alleged conspiracy. Mr. Gehlot’s claims have also been dismissed since the police reported to the chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of the Minister of the Interior.
On Wednesday, Gehlot doubled the allegations, saying his former deputy “did the job himself”.
With the contribution of PTI
