In a shocking allegation, Karnataka’s Water Resource Minister MB Patil has claimed that the Government of India has tapped his personal mobile phone.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Minister Patil said that the phones of his wife, eldest son and 15 other associates were also tapped.
“Fifteen to 20 days ago, a friend of mine told me that his phone was tapped. I then called a few experts. With their help, I was able to figure out that my phone was tapped. It’s not just my phone, but the phones of my wife Asha and son Rahul as well. My advocate and his wife’s phones were also tapped,” MB Patil told TNM.
“You know who resorts to this kind of things. It is clearly the Government of India,” the minister said.
Stating that in a few days, he would present proof of the phone tapping, MB Patil said that he would also show the media how it was done.
“I have all the proof of the phone tapping. In a few days, when the time is right, I will show the media the proof. My friend, who is an expert in such matters, entered a code on my phone. With this one can determine if a person’s phone has been tapped. I will show you how it’s done on a later date when the time is right,” minister Patil added.
The minister asserted that he has proof that the BJP-led Centre was behind the alleged phone tapping. “It is clearly the Government of India. I will prove it to everyone. I have also informed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about the phone tapping. When Income Tax raids were conducted at the homes of several Congress leaders, talks were on that even my house may be raided. I did not know at the time that my phone was tapped. Now I do,” Patil said.
This is not the first time that Karnataka Congress leaders have alleged phone tapping by the central government.
In September this year, the ruling Congress accused the BJP of tapping phones of top leaders.
Hitting out at the BJP-led Union government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said, “It is not the state government, but the Centre that is tapping phones. Tapping phones of opposition party leaders is something our government has never done and will never do. But the Centre has been tapping our phones, which the state BJP is not aware of. We haven’t played it up, because it’s a small thing.”
Echoing the CM’s version, Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the Centre was snooping on the state government.
“It’s true that the phones of 30-35 Congress leaders are being tapped. It’s been happening for many days,” Reddy had said.
The BJP, at the time, had also accused the Congress of tapping its leaders’ phones. BJP leader R Ashoka had alleged that the ruling Congress was using the state machinery to tap phone calls of 162 leaders from the BJP and JD (S).
The controversy over phone-tapping first surfaced in August when Union Minister Ananth Kumar and other BJP leaders met the Governor over the allegations.
The delegation alleged that retired IPS officer Kempaiah, and DGP of the Anti-Corruption Bureau MN Reddi are monitoring the phones of opposition leaders at the behest of the ruling party.