In poll bound Karnataka snooping and phone tapping seems to be making news. After Water Resources Minister MB Patil, it’s now the turn of Karnataka Power Minister DK Shivakumar to allege his phone too has been tapped. However, the minister did not name anyone in this episode. Shivakumar, a powerful Congress Minister said his phone had been tapped and he was ‘followed where ever he went’.
“My phone has been tapped, too,” Shivakumar told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m being followed every day. I’m being pursued wherever I go,” he said.
It is quite surprising that Shivakumar made this allegation just the day after Water Resources Minister MB Patil complained to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that his and his family members phone have been tapped by the Central Government.
However, a powerful Vokkaliga Congress leader Shivakumar did not specify who was tapping his phone. “Many agencies are authorised to tap phones. How can I say who did it,” he said. “But such attempts are on ever since I came to power.”
Income Tax sleuths authorities raided Shivakumar’s home for three consecutive days in August, even as the Congress strongman was hosting over 40 party legislators from Gujarat who camped in a resort outside Bengaluru.
Shivakumar and his family members were summoned by the IT department on Monday for an ongoing probe.
The phone tapping has become an issue ahead of assembly polls next year which is crucial for both the ruling Congress and the BJP. The recent episode of phone tapping has stirred the hornets’ nest in the ongoing political turmoil ahead of elections.
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the BJP-led Government at the Centre had tapped phones of more than 30 Congress leaders in the state.
In fact it was few months’ back a BJP delegation met the Karnataka Governor Vaju Bhai Wala complaining against the ruling congress led by chief minister Siddaramaiah accusing him of tapping phones of 162 leaders of BJP. Both BJP and the Congress leaders are blaming each other for phone tapping which has become an issue ahead of polls.