Congress cries phone tapping in Telangana, ducks charges in Karnataka

The Congress has triggered controversy with sharply different responses to phone-tapping allegations in Telangana and Karnataka, drawing criticism for double standards as it pursues an SIT probe against BRS leaders in one State while dismissing similar claims in another.

Hyderabad: The Congress party’s starkly contradictory positions on alleged phone tapping in Telangana and Karnataka have exposed what critics call blatant double standards, triggering political turmoil in both States.

In Telangana, the Congress government has taken an aggressive posture, ordering a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into allegations of phone tapping by the previous BRS regime.
Cases have been registered and senior former ministers, including K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao, besides former Rajya Sabha MP J. Santosh Rao, have already been questioned. On Friday, the SIT went a step further by issuing a notice to former chief minister and BRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao, asking him to appear for questioning.

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However, in Karnataka—also ruled by the Congress—the party finds itself on the defensive over allegations that phones at Lok Bhavan, the Governor’s official residence, were being monitored. The issue erupted into a major controversy in the Karnataka Assembly during the Motion of Thanks to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s address on Wednesday.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil told the House that the Governor had been receiving “instructions from New Delhi over the phone,” a statement that immediately drew sharp reactions from BJP legislators. They alleged that the Congress government itself was indulging in phone tapping and demanded an explanation.

Citing Patil’s remarks, BJP MLA Suresh Kumar recalled a similar phone tapping episode involving former Governor H.R. Bharadwaj in 2011 and questioned the Congress government’s conduct. The situation escalated further when IT Minister Priyank Kharge claimed that Lok Bhavan was receiving calls not only from New Delhi but also from the RSS headquarters in the State.

The exchange led to uproar in the House, forcing Speaker U.T. Khader to adjourn proceedings for lunch.
Since then, the Congress government in Karnataka has attempted to downplay the controversy. Home Minister G. Parameshwara denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the government would not indulge in tapping phones at the Governor’s office and dismissed the BJP’s charges as routine allegations.

The contrast, however, remains glaring. While the Congress in Telangana is pushing a full-fledged criminal probe into alleged phone tapping by its political rivals, the same party in Karnataka is brushing aside similar allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

This contradictory approach has sharpened political tensions, with the Congress facing mounting criticism over its selective outrage and inconsistent stand on a sensitive issue that cuts across constitutional offices and civil liberties