Phone Tapping Issue: BJP Can Obstruct Individual Freedom, Says Congress Leader DK Suresh

Expressing apprehensions that his brother and Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar's phones were being tapped, Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh on Sunday demanded a proper investigation into it and alleged that the BJP can obstruct individual freedom. "…it is not a mere allegation, the true fact has been brought to the notice of the concerned, the police department. We have doubts about phone tapping, because for the last ten to fifteen days there were a lot of disturbances during phone calls," Suresh said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, when inquired with some people, they suspected phone tapping, and advised us to give a complaint, so we have filed a complaint. "…everyone should know what all is happening. BJP people are experts in it… Instead of talking about what happened during our time (Congress govt), talk about what you are doing…President of a party has made a serious allegation, it is the duty of the government to investigate it," he added.

Shivakumar on Friday said he had doubts that his phone was being tapped and sought an investigation into it. State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, however, had rubbished Shivakumar's claims and said the BJP government was'responsible' and would not resort to such acts.

Asked whether they want the Shivakumar's phone tapping to be attached with the ongoing CBI probe into a similar matter, Suresh said, we want only truth to come out, if tapping is happening, we want to know at whose behest and from which department it is happening. "There is individual freedom, our view is that BJP can obstruct individual freedom, so it is the duty of the government to investigate it properly and the government should do it," he said.

The BJP government in August last year had ordered a CBI probe into the alleged phone tapping during the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy in which Shivakumar was a cabinet Minister. Asked whether there was any connection between the phone tapping and recent violence in Bengaluru, Suresh said,there was no relation between them, and to cover up the failure of the government and the police, the Congress is being blamed for the incident, keeping in mind the upcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls.