BJP holds dharna seeking CBI probe into 'phone-tapping' during BRS regime

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a dharna here on Friday demanding that the Congress government in Telangana hand over the probe into the alleged "phone-tapping" during the previous BRS regime to the CBI.

Addressing the protest, BJP Rajya Sabha member K Laxman said the confession statements of police officers in the phone-tapping issue is surprising to the whole country.

The Telangana society is seeking an answer from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on why he has adopted an inactive stance though the police officers have made "everything clear" in their confession statements, he claimed.

"The intelligence (wing) is supposed to help in maintaining law and order and for national security. The confession statements of officers show how intelligence was used against opposition leaders or for selfish politics. It also shows how 50 officers across the state were used, how it was against telegraph act and without the permissions of Union Home Ministry. It also shows how equipment was brought from foreign countries," he said.

The alleged destruction of intelligence information regarding Left Wing Extremism and anti-terror measures by the officers involved in phone-tapping shows the lack of sincerity towards society and the country, he alleged.

Claiming that the officers mentioned the names of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao in their confession statements, Laxman asked why Revanth Reddy is still not acting decisively in the matter.

"Why you (Revanth Reddy) are compromising today? Is it because of pressure of your Delhi leaders or your Congress high command has made any clandestine understanding with KCR," he asked.

BJP demands action against the main players who were behind the scenes in the phone-tapping issue. The party would fight politically till those who are responsible are punished, said Laxman, who is also national president of BJP's OBC Morcha.

Revanth Reddy should order a CBI investigation into the issue, he demanded.

Referring to the alleged confession statement of an ex-police official that former CM KCR wanted to use the "BRS MLAs" poaching case to force BJP into a compromise to get rid of the ED case against his daughter and MLC K Kavitha, Laxman deplored the alleged action of KCR and BRS.

As per former Deputy Commissioner of Police P Radha Kishan Rao's confessional statement, one of the accused in the phone tapping case, 'Peddayana'-- an indirect reference to Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekar Rao (KCR) -- wanted the arrest of BJP National General Secretary, Organisation, B L Santhosh in connection with alleged attempt to poach his party MLAs.

BJP had earlier petitioned Telangana Governor C P Radhakrishnan seeking a CBI investigation into the phone-tapping issue.

BRS had denied all the allegations made in the confessional statement, according to senior BRS leader and former MP Vinod Kumar.

Inputs from PTI