SnoopGate: Congress govt indulged in character assassination, says KT Rama Rao

The BRS leader reiterated that he has done nothing wrong.

Hyderabad: A day after it came to light that one of the arrested cops had confessed to have done phone tapping for political purposes, BRS working president and former minister, KT Rama Rao on Wednesday had said the Congress government was indulging in ‘character assassination’  instead of focusing on governance. 

He had also sent legal notices to  BC welfare minister, Konda Surekha and Congress MLA, Yennam Srinivas Reddy and former MLA , KK Mahender Reddy for utterances about KTR in phone tapping case. 

BJP had demanded a CBI inquiry into the phone tapping issue. Court had sent one of the key accused former OSD of the task force, P Radha Kishan Rao to seven days of police custody.

“The Congress government and Revanth Reddy don't have the guts to openly  talk about the phone tapping case in a press conference. Instead they indulge in character assassination by giving out leaks about so-called remand reports.  They divert from real issues with this phone tapping. In 20111 the then Congress MPs alleged that their own then Congress chief minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy had been tapping their phones. Probe should happen on that.  I don’t need to conduct any surveillance on anyone. I’m not indulging in any wrongdoing,”  KTR told a media conference on Wednesday.

KTR had also sent legal notices to Konda Surekha for her remarks  that KTR had ordered surveillance on some Tollywood heroines.

“Our client states that it has recently come to his attention that you are defaming our client by making false, slanderous and libelous statements, implying that our client is involved in an alleged "phone tapping" issue to which he is neither a part of nor aware of. Our client states that allegations made by you are misplaced without proof and reeks of your mala fide intention to tarnish the reputation, image and goodwill of our client,”  said the legal notice sent by KTR through his advocate.

BJP Rajyasabha member and party’s parliamentary board member, Dr K Laxman  said that Congress government should request for a CBI inquiry into phone tapping  for impartial probe. Talking to reporters on Wednesday at state party headquarters, Laxman said that there were reports that there was full fledged surveillance on Dubbak and Munugode by polls and there should be an in depth inquiry into them. He also said that BJP will also petition with the state governor for an impartial inquiry into phone tapping.

Fourth accused in the phone tapping case, former OSD in Task Force police, P radha Kishan Rao was produced before the Nampally court on Wednesday. Court had  sent him to police for seven days' custody.