Rahul Gandhi claims PM Modi ‘has my phone tapped’, BJP calls him ‘habitual liar’

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge backed the Congress leader's allegation, citing the earlier Pegasus controversy, while BJP leaders rejected the charge.

A political slugfest erupted on Friday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that his phone is being tapped by the Centre, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to call Gandhi a “habitual liar”.

Rahul Gandhi's phone-tapping allegation has triggered a fresh exchange between Congress leaders and the BJP, with both sides trading accusations. (Bloomberg/File)

Taking to X, Gandhi levelled allegations while reiterating his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate over the topic of who was anti-national and who was controlled by “foreign powers”.

“The Prime Minister is aware of this because he has my phone tapped. The day he agrees to a face-to-face debate, everyone will learn who is under the control of foreign powers, who is anti-national, and how long they have been involved in anti-national activities,” Gandhi said in a video posted by Congress on X.

Backing Rahul Gandhi’s claims, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge said: “Rahul Gandhi has never made an allegation without documents. If he’s made the claim, it is true because earlier also you heard about the Pegasus case. And Pegasus was first used on PM Modi’s cabinet colleagues, as reports said. So, when a person can use a sister spyware like Pegasus on his own colleagues, won’t he be using it for opposition leaders?”

The BJP, however, dismissed the charges as baseless and questioned Gandhi’s credibility. “Nobody is bothered tapping his phone. If anybody is interested, it’s to understand why his brain only functions on lies day after day,” Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.

BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said: “...Rahul Gandhi is a habitual liar. He cannot live without spreading a fresh lie or a fresh canard every new day.”