Gujarat: BJP challenges Rahul Gandhi to prove phone-tapping claim

Ahmedabad, Nov 14 (IANS) Invoking the 2021 Pegasus controversy, Gujarat BJP chief spokesperson Anil Patel on Saturday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to lodge a formal complaint with the police or approach the Lok Sabha Speaker over his latest allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was tapping his phone, saying the Leader of the Opposition had failed to substantiate similar allegations in the past.

Speaking to IANS, Patel said Gandhi had made repeated allegations against the government since becoming the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha but had not taken formal steps to seek an investigation into his claims.

Referring to the Pegasus controversy, Patel said: “Earlier also, there was an issue involving Pegasus. At that time, when the investigating authority told him to hand over his mobile phone for examination, he did not give it.”

He said Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition, could submit an application seeking an investigation, approach the police or write to the Lok Sabha Speaker if he believed his phone was being monitored.

“If an investigation is taking place, he is officially the Leader of the Opposition. He can submit an application, file a complaint with the police or write to the Lok Sabha Speaker. But he will do none of these things,” Patel said.

Accusing Gandhi of making allegations against the government without pursuing formal remedies, Patel said: “He keeps making baseless statements on the streets and alleging something or the other against the government. This has become his nature.”

Patel was responding to Gandhi’s latest allegation that the Prime Minister was tapping his phone.

During an interactive session on Instagram on Friday, Gandhi had claimed that evidence supporting his allegations was stored on his phone, which he said was being tapped by PM Modi.

He also reiterated his challenge to the Prime Minister for a one-on-one public debate, saying it would establish who was acting under the influence of foreign powers and who was anti-national.

The remarks triggered a fresh political exchange, with Congress leaders defending Gandhi’s claim and the BJP questioning its credibility.

Patel also referred to Gandhi’s earlier visit to President Droupadi Murmu over allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying that he had not subsequently submitted the evidence he claimed to possess.

He further alleged that Gandhi’s lawyers had failed to present supporting evidence before the Supreme Court in the matter.

“He went to the President over the SIR issue, but even today he has not submitted the evidence he claims to have. The case is also being heard in the Supreme Court, but his lawyers have not placed any proof before the court,” Patel told IANS.

He alleged that Gandhi is attempting to create an atmosphere of instability in the country and claimed that his statements were influenced by external forces.

Patel also described the Congress leader’s allegations as “fabricated stories”, saying he would continue making new claims every 10 to 15 days.

Responding to a question about Congress leader B K Hariprasad’s remarks linking phone-tapping allegations to PM Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, Patel dismissed them as “unsubstantiated”.

Hariprasad, speaking in Bengaluru on Saturday, had alleged that telephone tapping and snooping were not new under PM Modi and referred to the controversy involving the alleged surveillance of a woman during his tenure in Gujarat.

He claimed that a Special Task Force (STF) had also been formed in connection with the matter. Hariprasad backed Gandhi’s demand for an open debate with PM Modi, alleging that the phone-tapping charge was linked to the Prime Minister’s reluctance to accept the challenge.

Rejecting Hariprasad’s allegations, Patel said those making such claims should pursue official channels rather than make statements without evidence.

“There is no need to make baseless statements. If they believe something has happened, they can officially file a complaint. I can assure you that they will never do so. He will not do it,” Patel said.

The Pegasus controversy dates back to July 2021, when an international media investigation reported that phone numbers belonging to several Indian politicians, journalists and activists figured in a leaked database of potential surveillance targets.

The presence of a number on the list, however, did not by itself establish that the phone had been infected with Pegasus spyware.

The Supreme Court subsequently appointed an independent technical committee to investigate allegations of unauthorised surveillance.

In August 2022, the court said the committee had examined 29 mobile phones but found no conclusive evidence of Pegasus spyware in them.

–IANS

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