PRAMESH S JAIN
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday said he will order a CBI probe into the alleged phone-tapping scandal that took place during the previous congress JDS-led coalition government of HD Kumaraswamy in the state allegedly done at the behest of former Chief Minister,HD Kumaraswamy.This comes just days after the CM had already directed the Chief Secretary to inquire into the matter.
On the telephone tapping issue, several leaders, including Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah,have said it should be probed and truth should come out,so I have decided to order a CBI probe tomorrow itself I will order the probe,Yediyurappa told reporters at his residence in Dollars colony in Bengaluru.He also said it was the expectation of the people of the state that a detailed inquiry should be made and the culprits should be punished
I will write to the CBI on Monday seeking a probe into the phone-tapping charge as demanded by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah and his party’s other leaders and members,BS Yediyurappa is running the government as One man show who is even a Home Minister too now till cabinet expansion is done he added.
Yediyurappa’s announcement comes amid signs that the case is gaining political steam ever since disqualified JD(S) MLA AH Vishwanath,who served as the JD(S) state president and turned rebel later,last week dropped the political bomb,accusing the Kumaraswamy government of tapping phones and spying on more than 300 leaders,including him.
Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said he was ready for a probe by even an international agency.Let them do any inquiry,whether it is a CBI inquiry or any other agency of the international standard, or let them talk to Trump (US President Donald Trump),and get it inquired through someone from his side,I have been observing the conduct of electronic media, their intention and attempts are to keep Kumaraswamy away from people in state politics.They will not be successful in it,he said.Stating that he was not aware as to why his name was linked to the phone tapping case,Kumaraswamy stressed,If I was involved I would have panicked,I’m open.There is not even an iota to point fingers at me Kumaraswamy said.
The disqualified JDS MLA,AH Vishwanath,who served as the JDS state president and turned rebel later,last week accused the HD Kumaraswamy government of tapping phones and spying on more than 300 leaders,including him.This charge has been categorically denied by Kumaraswamy who said in a tweet,there was no need for me to remain in and save the chair (of CM) by tapping phones.Allegations made against me by some people in this matter is far from the truth.
Congress leaders,including Siddaramaiah,Mallikarjuna Kharge and the then Home Minister in the alliance government MB Patil,Dinesh Gundu Rao,KPCC President,have sought a probe while another key party leader and former Minister DK Shivakumar has rejected the snooping charges and appeared to side with Kumaraswamy.
According to reports,phones of those close to Siddaramaiah,who was the then coalition coordination committee chief, had come under the watch of the government.
Siddaramaiah has welcomed the decision of the chief minister even as he expressed apprehension if the agency was going to be used to unleash venomous political vendetta as has allegedly been done before.I welcome the decision of BS Yediyurappa to hand over the phone tapping case to CBI.But,in the past,BJP has used CBI as its puppet to unleash its venomous political vendetta.Hope BJP Karnataka leaders do not have similar intentions this time,Siddaramaiah’s tweet read.
Hitting out at the Congress,Senior BJP leader R Ashoka expressed surprise over differences in opinion on phone tapping probe within the grand old party.Pointing out that several Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, had demanded a probe,he said,Before handing over for probe they demanded inquiry,now they are blaming the Chief Minister, it is not right.Without even knowing who was behind the tapping, they are blaming us of vendetta politics.None of us knows who is behind it, it should come out through probe,” Ashoka added.
BJP MP, Sriramulu hits out at coalition over phone tapping row, says the coalition tapped phones to save govt.He adds that even phones of national leaders have been tapped and there is no political agenda behind ordering the CBI probe.He even said he held discussions and then decided to handover the case to the CBI.Nobody should involve oneself into phone tapping let it be the Chief Minister or former chief minister even though ministers are aware that phone tapping is a crime they have still indulged in it for which CM BS Yediyurappa has taken a very tough decision today the previous government was claiming that it is transparent but now its bad deeds have come to light he said reporters.
Disqualified MLA,Pratap Gowda Patil reacts on phone tapping row,says phones of many BJP MLAs have been tapped.He adds that the guilty will be punished after CBI probe he added.
Vishwanath had also claimed snooping would not have happened without the knowledge of the then Chief Minister as the intelligence wing was under his control.
Several BJP leaders,including former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, have directly accused Kumaraswamy of being behind the episode to save his government which was then rocked by dissidence within the coalition government ultimately collapsed last month with the chief minister losing the trust vote in the assembly.The controversy surfaced as Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao earlier this month ordered an inquiry into phone tapping incident against the backdrop of a recently leaked telephone conversation purportedly between him and someone in Delhi lobbying on his behalf with some politicians for the post he is occupying now.
IPS officers as,Bengaluru City Police Commissioner,Bhaskar Rao, his predecessor and Additional Director-General Police (ADGP) of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) Alok Kumar and another ADGP of the state intelligence wing Kamal Pant were reportedly lobbying for Bengaluru city police commissioner’s post during that period.Kumaraswamy opted for Alok Kumar,who held the post for 47 days from June 17 to August 1,before Rao was appointed on August 2 and Pant was not considered for the job.
Congress power broker Faraz Ahmed is alleged to have played a key role in getting Alok Kumar replaced with Rao for the post.
Reports says CM Yediyurapa has ordered CID and CBI probe in the phone tapping case and in which Bhaskar Rao’s and Faraz khan power broker of Congress will be probed first by CID and then by CBI. As phone tapping was ordered by Alok Kumar who was the then Addlitional commissioner of police crime who was the head of CCB,who has signed the ordered and passed to DCP Crime,Girish S who was heading technical wing in the CCB along with him ACP,Ramachandraiah,Inspectors as,Mirza,Yathiraj,Malltesh and others will be questioned by CBI in the alleged phone tapping case once the case will be probed by CBI.
CM BS Yediyurappa even said that after the expansion of cabinet he will hand over the IMA Multi-Crore Fraud case to CBI after the expansion of cabinet on Aug 20th as now the kingpin Mansoor Khan is in Judicial custody till August 30th.
On August 14th Yediyurappa directed state Chief Secretary TM Vijaya Bhaskar to probe the case after an interim report by Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Sandeep Patil revealed that Rao’s conversations with Ahmed were tapped thrice between May and June.
After audio tapes containing voices of Rao, Faraz, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and others were leaked to a section of the local media News18 Kannada first Aired and telecasted the Audio tape bomb of Commissioner of Police,Bhaskar Rao and Congess Power broker Faraz Khan, Kumaraswamy refuted that he ordered tapping of their phones.
Kumaraswamy resigned on July 23 after he lost the trust vote in the state legislative Assembly that he moved on July 18, as the 15 rebel lawmakers resigned before they were disqualified.
Disqualified JD-S rebel A.H. Vishwanath also accused Kumaraswamy of snooping.
Yediyurappa, 76, who became chief minister for the fourth time on July 26, is also the state home minister as he has not expanded his Cabinet so far.
His allegation gave mileage to the controversy that had been swirling around the state for weeks.
Congress leaders,including Siddaramaiah, Mallikarjun Kharge and home minister in the alliance government MB Patil, have sought an investigation.The other key leader and former minister, DK Shivakumar, has rejected the allegations.
The BJP government in Karnataka will expand its cabinet on Aug 20 in Bengaluru by inducting at least a dozen party’s legislators as ministers over three weeks after its state leader BSYediyurappa took oath as the CM for the fourth time on July 26.
