Telangana: BJP alleges phone tapping, complains to ECI

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging that phones of its State unit leaders were being tapped and also over publication of ‘fake transactions’ by Munugode candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy‘s family-owned company. The complaint was lodged with the ECI in response to the TRS […]

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging that phones of its State unit leaders were being tapped and also over publication of ‘fake transactions’ by Munugode candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy‘s family-owned company.

The complaint was lodged with the ECI in response to the TRS complaint that Rajgopal Reddy’s family-owned company Sushee Infra and Mining Ltd had transferred Rs 5.24 crore to bank accounts of individuals and business organisations in Munugode for the purpose of inducing voters.

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In the complaint, BJP Telangana in-charge Tarun Chugh alleged that the TRS was making false claims over the bank transactions without any evidence to mislead voters. Stating that disclosing details of bank accounts of individuals and private companies amounted to violation of law, Chugh said the leakage of the bank transaction details should be probed. He also said the BJP suspected the credibility and veracity of the transactions and thus, they had to be probed.

Chugh also complained that the TRS was tapping phones of BJP State leaders and of those campaigning in Munugode. He pointed out that without any legal process, resorting to phone tapping was not permissible under the law and asked the ECI to initiate action against the TRS. He also alleged that the TRS was transferring money into accounts of voters through mobile money transfer applications.

The complaint also accused leaders of government employees’ associations like Telangana Non-gazetted Officers’ Association (TNGO) and Road Transport Corporation Employees’ Association of campaigning for the TRS and pressurizing government employees to vote for their candidate.