TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleges phone tapping; writes to PM Modi seeking a probe

Naidu made similar charges of phone tapping on the Chandrasekhar Rao government in Telangana, when he was operating from the joint capital Hyderabad as the Andhra Pradesh chief minister

Telugu Desam Party chief and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleged illegal tapping of the phones of the opposition leaders, advocates, media persons, and social activists in Andhra Pradesh.

Stating the tapping as in violation of the fundamental rights and various laws, the leader of the opposition in the state has appealed to the central government to initiate a probe.

Naidu however did not provide any particular instance of such a tapping in the three-page letter, a copy of which was sent to Union Minister for IT and communications Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Naidu had made similar charges of phone tapping in 2015 on the Chandrasekhar Rao government in Telangana, when he was operating from the joint capital Hyderabad as the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.

In Monday’s letter, Naidu stated that “the people of Andhra Pradesh are facing a grave threat under the rule of YSRCP”, and mentioned that “the ruling YSRCP has been attacking and threatening leaders of opposition parties etc., through various deceitful means.”

“One such modus operandi the ruling party has chosen is by illegally and unlawfully tapping the phones. It appears that the YSRCP government has been tapping phones illegally for its own political gains. Further we are afraid that it is being done through illegal software. This is all the more dangerous as in the long term it could pose a direct threat to national security,” Naidu said adding that such sophisticated technology in the miscreant hands would lead to blackmail threats.

“The ruling party in its over enthusiasm to retain power at any cost is dangerously threatening and attacking any person or institution raising their voice against the malfunctioning of the government. It appears that the ruling party has now even targeted judiciary, the third pillar of democracy, as it is facing hurdles from the judiciary,” Naidu said in apparent reference to several of the recent AP high court orders and directions like the reinstatement of the State election commissioner and stay on the three capital plans which are seen as setbacks for the Jaganmohan Reddy government.