Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Aug 29: At a time when news about efforts being made to topple the state government are making the rounds, another information that phones of ministers and legislators having clout are being tapped has given rise to a sense of alarm and indignation among the concerned.
Sources say that phones of top rung leaders of all the three major parties, BJP, Congress, and JD(S), are being tapped and conversations are being recorded. Those whose phones are monitored for critical details happen to be former chief minister, Siddaramaiah, BJP state president, B S Yeddyurappa, people close to them and legislators who are loyal to them.
Some analysts say that the government will crumble when Siddaramaiah undertakes Europe tour. As if to support this notion, a section of politicians have set the ball rolling by spreading the information that they would welcome if Siddaramaiah is made the chief minister in place of Kumaraswamy.
It is said that with the tapping, details of legislators with whom party leaders and ministers are in contact with, have been collected. As per the notion, 15 Congress MLAs, a minister, and a JD(S) legislator and three former ministers are in touch with BJP leaders. It is being felt that unless the ministry expansion happens early, the government might face peril anytime now. Some sources say the information that the leaders are planning either to form new government or to face election again has been obtained during the phone tapping.
Some ministers and legislators are worried that in addition to their political games and aspirations, private information also might have been leaked to the phone tappers. Many of them have resorted to speaking on landline in important matters and have been advising their contacts to call them on landline, it is said.
The information about phone tapping is said to have also shaken the confidence of chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwara, and others. Reportedly, All India Congress Committee president, Rahul Gandhi, has been informed of the development. BJP central leadership has sounded the state leaders about the possibility of tapping and asked them to be on alert, it is said.
Phone tapping is not new to Karnataka politics. Allegations of phone tapping had been made when Janata Party government led by Ramakrishna Hegde was ruling the state, and again when Yeddyurappa was the chief minister. During the recent assembly election and when new government formation was being undertaken, there were rumours of tapping of phones of important leaders.
At the same time, there is information that two devices which were produced by the government during the period Yeddyurappa was the chief minister, were backed by modern technology which could provide full details of calls made and conversations. One among them is with the state intelligence department, it is gathered. However, going by the past experiences, hopes of all details of tapping and effects they made on the careers of politicians becoming public knowledge are remote as there is bright chance of them staying under wraps forever.