Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has “questioned the intent” of his successor Bhajan Lal Sharma for keeping the myth of phone tapping alive, even after Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena levelled similar charges against him.
Speaking to media persons at the Congress state headquarters here on Thursday, Gehlot said, “The entire opposition sought an official statement from the head of the government in the state assembly on February 7. The Opposition is protesting to press for its demand. CM Sharma delivered a lengthy speech for two hours and sounded more like the leader of the Opposition rather than the Leader of the House. Sharma avoided a reply to Minister Meena’s allegations, why?”
“During the previous Congress regime, similar allegations were made against my government and I had instantly risen to make a statement on the allegations. I had clearly stated that phones of any MP, MLA, or other person are neither being tapped presently, nor were they tapped in the past, and will never be tapped in the future.”
“My question to the Chief Minister or the ruling party leadership is, why did CM Sharma not make a similar assertion to clear the situation and put to rest the raging controversy”, Gehlot said.
“Sharma happens to be the leader of the House, the Chief Minister, and also the Home Minister of the state. Why could he not make a categorical clarification and set the record straight? the former CM said.
He said neither phone tapping had been a tradition in Rajasthan nor the law of the land allowed such acts.
Under special and specific situations, if the phone of a person/authority is essentially needed to be tapped, it requires proper compliance with a prescribed process that also involves prior permission from the Home Ministry.
“It is a crime if the government or anybody else taps a phone in violation of the prescribed procedure. Who will make the clarification on the status in this case? At least, we can’t make a clarification on this matter,” the three-time former CM said.
Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham spoke on the issue on Friday last. However, he too spoke outside the House, and not on the floor of the House, Gehlot said.
“My question is why did not MoS Bedham make a clarification/statement in the House? The Chief Minister (Sharma) should answer this,” Gehlot said.