JAIPUR: The BJP on Monday came down heavily on the Ashok Gehlot government after it recently uploaded on the assembly website that it tapped phones in the interest of public safety and order.
The reaction was the state government’s reply to a question asked by BJP MLA Kalicharan in the Assembly last year.
Though the reply did not say it tapped phones of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhwat and supporters of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot after a rebellion in the Congress last year, the BJP demanded a CBI probe into it.
Reacting to it, Shekhawat, who was accused of toppling the Gehlot government in July 2020 in connivance with Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma said, “Gehlot acted like a saint then. He should now respond to the issue. He has misused government machinery to settle the power struggle within his party.”
Reacting to it, BJP state president Satish Poonia demanded a CBI probe claiming the reply was contradictory to repeated denials of tapping phones by Gehlot, then chief secretary and senior officers.
Poonia said the question by MLA Saraf was in connection with the allegations of phone tapping of elected representatives that appeared widely in the media by the government during the power struggle in Congress (June and July 2020).
“Phone tapping is not an ordinary issue. Gehlot while defending the allegations had repeatedly lied in the assembly. We sought his response on news reports highlighting the same, but he gave false assurances. Even Congress MLAs then had demanded NIA investigation fearing phone-tapping. Only a CBI probe can reveal the ill intentions of the government,” said Poonia.
However, the government is still in denial mode. A senior official in the home department said, “No permission was given to the investigative agencies to intercept the phones of public representatives, be it MLA, MP or any minister.”
“Permission for phone interception (of any person) is given as per the provisions laid down under Section 5(2) of The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and Section 419 (A) of The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007,” said home secretary N L Meena.
Calling the phone tapping episode part of the Congress government’s set practice of curbing dissent, Jaipur Rural MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, “In a bid to save the government from falling, Congress tapped the phones of opposition leaders and people. The admission of spying is illegal and gross misuse of the powers.”
Saraf, in a starred question in the last session (August, 2020) of Rajasthan assembly had asked, “Is it true that phone tapping cases have come to the fore in the last days? If yes, then under which law and on whose orders? Place complete details on the table of the House.”
In its response, which was posted on the state assembly’s website, the government gave a reply stating: “Interception of the telephone has been done by Rajasthan Police under the above-mentioned provisions having obtained permission from the competent officer.”
However, the government’s reply to Saraf did not mention that the phones of any public representative – MLAs and MPs - were tapped. In fact, the reply didn’t mention the telephone numbers or names of persons whose phones have been intercepted. The government’s reply further stated, “Interception cases are reviewed as per rules under the chairmanship of chief secretary of Rajasthan. All cases up to November 2020 have been reviewed.”
TOI had reported on July 20, 2020, that the state government didn’t intercept the phones of any public representative – MLAs and MPs - but only tapped the mobile of middleman Sanjay Jain, who was subsequently arrested for purportedly plotting to dislodge the Ashok Gehlot government. The Union home ministry, too, had sought a report on the Jain phone interception case from then chief secretary Rajeeva Swarup. The report was sent to the government of India on July 21.
The state slipped into a political crisis in July 2020 after the Congress party released the audio clips where Jain was heard allegedly talking to Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. In one of the recordings of phone conversations, former Rajasthan tourism minister Vishvendra Singh’s voice could also be allegedly heard.
According to the source, only Sanjay Jain’s phone was intercepted and he was heard talking to Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma and Union minister Shekhawat. The phones of these two people were not intercepted, the source had said.