KTR calls phone tapping probe political vendetta in Telangana
TELANGANA: Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao on Monday alleged that the phone tapping investigation was a political vendetta by the Congress-led Telangana government to divert attention from governance failures and shield Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Addressing the media, Rama Rao said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe had turned into a “time-pass exercise” and resembled a “daily television serial” rather than a serious inquiry. He alleged that notices were being selectively issued to opposition leaders for political mileage, while senior police and intelligence officials who had overseen the system earlier were not being questioned.
SIT targets opposition, spares senior officials: KTR
Rama Rao said intelligence agencies function under established police systems across governments and are not run by ministers or political executives. Surveillance mechanisms, he added, had existed since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru and continue under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He questioned why former intelligence chiefs and senior police officers — including Director General of Police Shivadhar Reddy, former DGP Mahender Reddy, former DGP and Home Secretary Jitender, and Ravi Gupta — had not been summoned by the SIT. “If the investigation is honest, these officers should be questioned first. Instead, political leaders are being targeted,” he said.
Rama Rao challenged the government to produce even one senior official willing to state publicly that opposition leaders’ phones were not being tapped. He alleged that the administration was allowing selective media leaks while avoiding formal press briefings or official statements.
“For two years, there has not been a single official press conference on this case. There are only anonymous stories and speculation,” he said.
Probe meant to divert from governance failures, says KTR
Rama Rao alleged that the Chief Minister was using the controversy to buy time while travelling abroad, including visits to Davos and Harvard. He claimed notices were being issued to different BRS leaders at different times to keep the issue alive.
Calling the case “baseless,” he said even investigating officers were aware that there was nothing substantial. He accused the government of failing to fulfil electoral promises, including financial assistance to women and the implementation of six guarantees.
Instead of addressing governance issues, he said, the government was repeatedly raising controversies such as Kaleshwaram, Formula E, sheep procurement and now phone-tapping to divert public attention.
Rama Rao alleged that notices were issued to Harish Rao within hours of his raising questions over alleged irregularities in coal contracts at Singareni involving relatives of the Chief Minister. He demanded SIT probes into allegations linked to Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and his family, and into claims involving Srujan Reddy in coal contracts and AMRUT projects.
He said he had submitted documents in Delhi regarding the award of AMRUT contracts to firms allegedly lacking eligibility.
Rama Rao also referred to allegations of irregularities worth ₹10,000 crore in Gachibowli land transactions and said that despite recommendations by a Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee, no action had followed. Citing remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an “RR Tax” in Telangana and comments by Home Minister Amit Shah that the state had become an ATM for Congress, he questioned the absence of any central agency probe.
Reiterating that neither he nor BRS leaders had committed any wrongdoing, Rama Rao said they would cooperate with the SIT but would not accept political harassment.
Referring to the 2015 MLA-poaching episode, he said intelligence agencies may have monitored communications to prevent destabilisation of an elected government, which was part of routine policing. He also cited statements by Congress leaders Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy alleging phone-tapping, and said the state government had never formally denied those claims.
Rama Rao demanded that the Director General of Police and the Intelligence Inspector General come forward on oath to assure citizens that no illegal surveillance was taking place in Telangana.
“Surveillance exists only for national security and maintenance of public order, not for partisan politics,” he said.
