The phone-tapping controversy in Telangana has taken a new turn as BJP MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has called for action against former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and former minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR). Reddy, representing the Chevella constituency, has accused the duo of orchestrating a widespread phone-tapping operation during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime. The allegations have intensified political tensions, with demands for accountability and transparency in the investigation process.
Reddy, who testified before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case, revealed to the media that he and his wife, Sangita Reddy, were victims of illegal surveillance. He claimed that their phones were tapped multiple times after he resigned from the BRS in 2018. The MP further alleged that false cases were filed against him, forcing him to flee to Bengaluru for two weeks to avoid arrest under non-bailable sections. "KCR and KTR should be punished to prevent phone-tapping in the future," Reddy asserted, emphasizing the need for accountability.
The controversy gained momentum when Reddy's mobile number was discovered in the Call Detail Record (CDR) list of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), which had allegedly placed several opposition leaders, journalists, and businessmen under surveillance. Despite bringing the issue to the attention of the then Director General of Police (DGP) Mahender Reddy, no action was taken, according to Reddy. He has vowed to raise the issue in Parliament, seeking justice and transparency in the investigation.
The SIT, which is spearheading the investigation, has recorded statements from various individuals, including media personality Radhakrishna and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President B. Mahesh Kumar Goud. However, BJP MP Raghunandan Rao has criticized the SIT for not summoning him to testify, despite being the first to raise concerns about phone-tapping. Rao, who represents the Medak constituency, accused the SIT of engaging in a "time-pass" investigation and questioned why former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused, had not been arrested.
The phone-tapping scandal has also drawn attention to the alleged involvement of the Congress and BRS in shielding each other. Raghunandan Rao claimed that the manner in which the investigations are being conducted into phone-tapping and the Kaleshwaram project indicates a possible collusion between the two parties. The SIT has questioned Prabhakar Rao multiple times, who allegedly formed a Special Operations Team under a suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) within the SIB to tap phones of opposition leaders and other individuals to benefit the then-ruling political party.
