Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 16: With drama prevailing around the formation of the Karnataka government, and JD(S) and Congress ensuring extra safety to prevent poaching of its MLAs by BJP at bay, allegations of phone tapping by Chikmaagaluru-Udupi MP and BJP state general secretary Shobha Karandlaje have added to the speculations.

Karandlaje on Wednesday May 16 evening accused the Congress of playing dirty politics and tapping the phones of three BJP MPs. "We don’t have privacy," she told the media.

"Congress has tapped our phones. GM Siddeshwara, PC Mohan and I have already complained to Lok Sabha speaker, the home minister of India and the Karnataka IG and DG," she said and demanded action on priority.

She added that Congress has resorted to dirty politics in the wake of the fractured verdict. "As no party has got majority, there are many developments happening. Karnataka government wants to gain an edge by listening to what we are discussing with our leaders," she said.

We got information from agencies that a lot of information has leaked. This made us realize that our phones are tapped, she added.

In a letter to Rajnath Singh, union minister of home affairs, Karandlaje has asserted, "Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Privacy are fundamental rights of any citizen as enshrined in the Constitution. We have every reason to believe that the Karnataka government is misusing its position and tapping our mobile cell phones. This, according to us, is a clear violation of our fundamental right to privacy," she said in the letter.

"Election to the Karnataka Assembly was held on 12th May and results were announced on 15th May. Political situation is still fluid following a fractured mandate. The Congress government in Karnataka is taking advantage of this situation and has resorted to cheap tactics of tapping the telephones of the BJP leaders," she added in the letter.

This is not the first allegation of phone tapping in Karnataka. Former state home minister Ramalinga Reddy had accused the BJP at the Centre of tapping telephonic conversations of Congress leaders. Senior leaders like DK Shivakumar and Dinesh Gundu Rao have also alleged their phones were tapped in the past.