Congress Leaders Record Statements on Phone Tapping
Mahesh Kumar Goud tells SIT over 600 leaders’ phones were intercepted under the BRS regime
Hyderabad: TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday accused former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao and his team of intercepting more than 600 mobiles of the Congress leaders ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
Appearing before the SIT on Tuesday in connection with the phone tapping, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Anil Kumar Yadav, Saritha, and several other Gandhi Bhavan staff appeared before the SIT officers in Jubilee Hills for recording their statements as witnesses.
The SIT officials are likely to record statements of BJP leaders on Wednesday Prabhakar Rao would appear before the SIP ahead of the SIT officials on Thursday.
A few months before the 2023 Assembly elections, the SIB officers had allegedly created 600 profiles, mainly consisting of Congress leaders including Gandhi Bhavan staff, to intercept WhatsApp messages illegally by getting every movement of Congress leaders.
After giving witness statements, Mahesh Kumar Goud said that “the accused — the then BRS government — had orchestrated a political conspiracy through illegal phone tapping.” Goud said that his phone number was among those tapped during the tenure of the BRS regime. The officials informed me that my number too was under surveillance. I have given my complete statement to the SIT without any reservations.”
During the 2023 elections, Mahesh Kumar Goud was a working president of the Congress and a formal complaint was lodged with the Chief Secretary.
"Not just Congress leaders, but over 650 phones belonging to key leaders from various parties, including the BJP and TD, were illegally tapped. The then BRS government acted in a disgraceful and conspiratorial manner, aiming to silence the opposition and suppress rival parties," Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged.
He went on to state that phone-tapping was one of the major reasons behind the Congress’ defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections. The TPCC chief also blamed senior bureaucrats, including the then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, the Director General of Police, and Home Secretaries of capitulating to political pressure and facilitating the illegal surveillance.
He also alleged that an officer without formal designation, Prabhakar Rao, was seated in an IG-level post solely to oversee the tapping operations.