Kirodi Lal Meena, Rajasthan's agriculture minister, claimed on Sunday that his phone was being tapped and he was under the surveillance of the state's criminal investigation department (CID).
"I am still saying my phone is being tapped and the CID is following me," he said while speaking at an event in the state's Sanchore.
He said he received a notice from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over his claim.
"I received a notice (from the party). I told them that when I used to protest in the past, the officers during the previous government would monitor me. They would track where I was going, what I was doing and which movement I was participating in. They used to tap my phone. I have always said that my phone is being tapped and there is a CID following me," he added.
This is not the first time Meena raised the apprehension.
The minister of state (MoS) for home, Jawahar Singh Bedham, recently denied the phone tapping allegations in the Rajasthan Assembly.
However, Meena today claimed that the same officers who used to carry out surveillance on him were in their positions. He said it should stop.
"The same officers are still in their positions. Those who used to tap my phone and follow me are still there. I never paid attention to it but now it should stop," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"The same officers are still in their positions. Those who used to tap my phone and follow me are still there. I never paid attention to it but now it should stop," he added.
{{/usCountry}}He said he should have raised the issue on the BJP forum and not publicly. "...but sometimes the situation gets tangled. So, I spoke up," he added.
Meena further said there were scams in the previous government.
"A huge scam took place in Jal Jeevan Mission. Work was given without any tender. I raised the issue and some engineers were suspended, some officers were arrested and a contractor was also arrested," he added.
The Congress had raised the matter in the Rajasthan assembly.
Reacting to the fresh allegation, BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said the government had clarified in the assembly that no phone of any elected representative, including Kirodi Meena, was being tapped.
Also read: Government keeping me under surveillance: Kirodi Lal Meena
What had Meena said earlier this month
Earlier this month, Meena accused the government of spying on him.
“I got 50 fake station house officers (SHOs) arrested. I raised the demand to cancel the 2021 sub-inspector recruitment exam conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) over the alleged paper leak, but the government did not pay heed. Instead, this (BJP) government acted like the previous Congress government,” Meena said while addressing a function at the Amagarh temple near Jaipur.
Meena said he remains “unfazed” even though the criminal investigation department (CID) is tailing him and tapping his phone. “I don’t do anything illegal, so I am not scared, nor will I bend before anyone. I will always speak the truth,” he added.
With inputs from PTI