Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS) Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC on Saturday questioned the allegations of phone tapping made by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, asking why Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be interested in tapping his phone. Congress leaders hit back at the BJP and defended LoP Gandhi’s allegations.
Speaking to IANS, Shaina NC said, “Why would PM Modi tap Rahul Gandhi’s phone? Tell me, is he a secret agent? Does he have any secret information? If you want to make allegations, you must come out of Modi phobia. Only then will you understand.”
She further criticised LoP Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he lacked a vision and a concrete plan and repeatedly invoked the Prime Minister’s name to portray him negatively.
“You have repeated Modi ji’s name so much, morning and evening, that you have portrayed him as a villain. In fact, he is a hero. You should look for someone else to portray as a villain,” she said.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders defended LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations and accused the BJP-led government of using agencies to target political opponents and undermine the federal structure.
Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations reflected the way the Central government was functioning and alleged that the BJP wanted to weaken regional parties and consolidate political power.
“Rahul ji’s allegation on phone tapping is clearly showing us how the Modi government is acting. They want to destabilise the federal structure and regional parties. They want a ‘One Nation, One Party, Double Engine Sarkar’. All these things are in their interest to remain in power for a long time, and they are using all the agencies, which we can clearly see,” he said.
Referring to Telangana’s political history, Reddy alleged that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had also resorted to phone tapping during his tenure to prevent the Congress from coming to power.
“As LoP Rahul Gandhi rightly said, they are using everything for the sake of staying in power,” he added.
Congress leader and AICC in-charge for Telangana, Sachin Sawant, also criticised the BJP, alleging that phone tapping, gathering Intelligence on individuals and blackmailing them had become part of its political modus operandi.
“This has been the attitude and policy of the Bharatiya Janata Party. This is how the Constitution and democracy of this country have been put in danger,” he said.
Referring to Maharashtra, Sawant alleged that the phones of several political leaders had been tapped in the state, describing it as a major scandal.
“So, what is new about this? This is Modi ji’s gift to this country,” he added.
–IANS
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