BJP leader Sovan Chatterjee alleges phone tapping by TMC government

KOLKATA: The BJP's Kolkata zone observer Sovan Chatterjee on Thursday alleged that his mobile phone was being tapped by the Trinamool Congress government.

Chatterjee also claimed that the BJP could have won 23-24 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, had the Trinamool Congress, his former party, not used muscle power.

The saffron party bagged 18 seats in that election.

"I had suddenly noticed that the phone was kept under surveillance. It was being done to help one person or the administration in general," the former Kolkata mayor told a press conference.

He, however, did not say who that "one person" is.

That number is being used as his WhatsApp contact only, the former minister said.

He said that there are 51 assembly constituencies under the BJP's Kolkata zone, of which he was made the observer in December, and the party has to ensure that voters reach their polling booths during the assembly election due in April-May.

"In the last Lok Sabha polls, we have got 18 seats. It could have been 23 or 24 easily had the TMC not used muscle power," he claimed.

He also announced a series of programmes, including an initiative called 'Samadhan' for solving problems of people, which will be conducted in the Kolkata zone.