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K’taka home minister junks BJP claims of phone tapping at Guv office
Karnataka's Home Minister G Parameshwara denies BJP's claims of phone tapping linked to the governor's office, calling them baseless and unnecessary.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara on Thursday rejected accusations from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the State government had intercepted communications linked to the governor’s office, calling the charge baseless and unnecessary.
Parameshwara, speaking to reporters and responding to questions in the Legislative Assembly, said the government had neither engaged in phone tapping nor had any reason to do so. The BJP’s claims, he suggested, reflected the opposition’s own past conduct rather than the present administration. “We have not tapped anyone’s phone and will not do so in the future. Also, we do not need it. The BJP makes hundreds of allegations every day from dawn to dusk. But, there is no need to answer all of them,” he said.
The controversy followed remarks made earlier in the Assembly by law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil during a discussion on the governor’s recent address to a joint session. Patil had said governor Thaawarchand Gehlot appeared to be receiving instructions from the Centre over the phone. The BJP argued that such a statement implied the governor’s calls were being monitored.
Opposition leader R Ashoka subsequently alleged that phones at Raj Bhavan were being tapped and called for the matter to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Parameshwara dismissed any link between the government and surveillance claims. “We have never indulged in phone tapping, and we will not do so just because allegations are being raised. There is absolutely no necessity for it,” he said. Addressing the frequency of such accusations, he added, “There is no connection between the BJP’s allegations and phone tapping.”
In response to a separate issue involving policing, the home minister said action had been taken against a police inspector in Chikkamagaluru district who issued a notice citing a law that had not yet come into force. “We are already training police officers on the Indian Penal Code (IPC). We have taken action against the police inspector for such a notice. We take action whenever something wrong happens. It is not that we will take action based on the allegations of the BJP,” he said. He also noted that officers were being trained on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and that errors would be corrected.
On legislative business, Parameshwara said the chief minister had discussed extending the Assembly session during a Congress Legislature Party meeting. “The Speaker has been requested to convene a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. A decision will be taken in that meeting to extend the session by two more days,” he said, adding that the chief minister had taken note of issues raised by party legislators.
He also addressed demands related to police transfers, saying inspectors were earlier moved after one year at a station but were now generally being transferred after two years, as shorter tenures had proved ineffective. “We will discuss the pros and cons of this matter and take an appropriate decision,” he said.
