Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders on Tuesday accused the State BJP government of tapping the phones of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, his associates and several journalists, a charge denied by the BJP.
While observing “Black Day” to mark 100 days of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, Congress media incharge Jitu Patwari told reporters here, “This government is spying on us. Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, leaders and members of the State party committee, their phones are being tapped.”
In view of such acts being committed by government officials, the former Minister asked “if it wasn’t a murder of democracy and a black day”.
Appealing to Mr. Chouhan to work in the “right direction” and not “without direction,” he said, “The way you murdered democracy and bought legislators with the cooperation of the Prime Minister, you became the Chief Minister. But now you should work on how the State should be run. The Congress is ready to support you in this.”
Mr. Patwari said the State government was scared and therefore targeting the Opposition. “Their phones are being kept on search. Phones of several journalists are also being kept on search.”
Party MLA and former Minister Sajjan Singh Verma said the reported tapping was being undertaken in an unauthorised way. “There is no government order. There is no notice of the Centre on tapping. We want to warn the officials involved. We have your names...we will expose them,” he said.
Mr. Verma said the BJP had ‘toppled’ the Congress government as it “waived farm loans, created employment opportunities and tackled the land mafia and food adulterators”.
Hitting out at the government for not forming a full-fledged Cabinet even after 100 days, Mr. Verma said, “There are so many groups within the BJP — of Mr. Chouhan, Narendra Singh Tomar, Narottam Mishra, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Gopal Bhargava, the RSS and the BJP. And Mr. Chouhan knows the day the Cabinet is formed, a big blast would occur within the party.”
Rejecting the allegation of phone tapping, BJP State media incharge Lokendra Parashar said, “Those who’ve indulged in corruption and injustices in their tenure can’t think beyond it. That’s why they are making such baseless remarks.”