Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 16: Relating to the burning issue of phone tapping allegation, the Congress has decided to own silence. Although the charges of overhearing telephonic conversations clandestinely pertain to the period of the coalition government, the Congress wants to tread carefully on this issue as the phone tapping was also presumably resorted to in respect of certain Congress leaders. The party therefore plans to place the entire blame for the phone tapping on former chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy.

The phone tapping issue cropped up from nowhere after an audio clip connected with the conversation IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, had with certain persons, was circulated through social media. Rao, who was accused of lobbying hard for the post of the city police commissioner, has now been given that post by the BJP government.

Deve Gowda

The preliminary report filed by Sandeep Patil had confirmed the possibility of several telephones having been tapped. There were allegations that Kumaraswamy had got the telephones of a number of leaders tapped through some police officers. As such, the issue has all the makings of fomenting trouble not only for Kumaraswamy, but also some senior IPS officers.

In the preliminary report submitted by DIG and joint commissioner of police here, Sandeep Patil, to director general of police, there is information that telephones of former chief minister Siddaramaiah and home minister M B Patil had been tapped. Therefore the Congress has decided against rushing to the rescue of Kumaraswamy and keep their mouths shut for the present, reports say.

BJP leaders have demanded for in-depth investigation into the entire issue and now some Congress leaders have supported this demand. Some leaders including Siddaramaiah and M B Patil have sought detailed probe into the allegation. MP Shobha Karandlaje, too sought detailed investigation into it. Siddaramaiah said that he does not have information about telephone tapping and demanded proper investigation into the allegation and initiation of steps against the guilty.

Kumaraswamy said he does not know why his name is being linked to this issue. He said he welcomes any probe by the BJP government. He said he would not react to allegations made against him by disqualified JD(S) MLA H Vishwanath. He said that he knows everything about wrong things indulged in by different leaders since a year.

Deve Gowda, expressing anger at the allegations made by BJP leaders, questioned their propriety in raising this issued. He pointed out that BJP leaders were the ones who had hijacked legislators and that he knows about wrong deeds of BJP leaders in different states. He said he is interested to know what the BJP leaders will be doing on this issue.