Congress seeks to draw parallel between Radia tapes and Arnab Goswami's WhatsApp chat

A K Antony claimed that the party had documents that suggested key govt functionaries were passing on intelligence inputs related to the Balakot airstrikes to journalist

Congress is seeking to draw parallels between the infamous ‘Radia tapes’ and journalist Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp chats with a television industry player and accusing the Modi government of leaking sensitive national security information, putting security forces in jeopardy.

Addressing a press conference here, former defence minister and Congress veteran A K Antony claimed that the party had documents that suggested key government functionaries were passing on intelligence inputs related to the Balakot airstrikes to the journalist.

Besides Antony, senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sushilkumar Shinde, Salman Khurshid and Pawan Khera addressed the press conference a day after Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of passing on operational details of the Balakot airstrikes to the journalist.

Asked about the documentary evidence in possession of the party, Antony said the Congress had “information” and referred to the transcript of the WhatsApp chats between Goswami and Broadcast Audience Research Council CEO Partho Dasgupta.

‘Criminal act’

“Leaking of the official secret is a criminal act. Leaking official secret about the military operation, national security matters, sensitive military operations especially military strike is treason, anti-national,” the former defence minister said, calling for an investigation on the source of the leak of sensitive information.

The Congress leaders demanded that the prime minister come clean on these accusations immediately in order to “restore the severely damaged credibility of the highest office of the country.” Shinde, a former home minister, said the Congress would raise the issue in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.

Congress leaders believe that the WhatsApp revelations, the farmers’ agitation and Chinese transgressions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh were issues that could help them pin down the Modi government in the upcoming Budget Session.

Azad, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the Congress would reach out to other opposition parties on the Joint Parliamentary probe in the issue.

The Radia Tapes comprising discussions between public relations professional and influential businessmen and journalists had caused acute embarrassment to the UPA government in 2010.