Hyderabad:

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a two-pronged attack on the RSS and RSS using the Telangana phone hacking racket. Addressing a rally in Rangra Reddy district of Telangana yesterday, Gandhi said, “Just as your former chief minister (K ​​Chandrashekar Rao) did here, the Prime Minister and the BJP did in Delhi Yes, the Enforcement Bureau has become the Racketeer Bureau.”

Gandhi’s remarks against the central agency are part of the opposition’s accusation against the Narendra Modi government of misusing investigative agencies for political purposes. After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in a money laundering case, India Bloc leaders lashed out at the Center at a rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan over the issue.

The KCR-led BRS government has found itself at the center of a huge controversy over senior police officers tapping the phones of opposition leaders, including current chief minister Revanth Reddy, and several celebrities and businessmen.

Several senior police officers were arrested after Reddy ordered an inquiry into the matter. Surveillance on businessmen was allegedly used to blackmail them into donating to BRS party funds.

As the shocking allegations surfaced, the Congress and the BJP lashed out at the BRS.

KT Rama Rao, former minister and KCR’s son, said if any incident of phone tapping took place, it could be limited to a few troublemakers or criminals. He told a party meeting that Congress was “exaggerating this into an international hoax”.

This prompted a strong response from the chief minister, who said KTR had “shamelessly admitted” phone tapping and called for accountability.

G Kishan Reddy, a BJP MP from Telangana and Union minister, said the Election Commission should reconsider BRS’s recognition in light of the allegations. “This is not an ordinary case. This is a very serious matter. This is not just an act of political revenge, this is not just a matter of phone tapping for political gain. Rather, there is a violation of privacy, respect for individuals and About the rules of conduct.’,” he told reporters here.

The 17 seats in Telangana will go to single-phase polling on May 13. In the 2019 elections, the BRS won 9 seats, the BJP won 4 seats, the Congress won 3 seats and Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM won 1 seat. With the Congress coming to power with a landslide victory in last year’s state polls, the party is hoping to boost its support this time around.

“Everyone in Telangana knows that the Congress is delivering on its promises,” Gandhi said in his speech at Rangareddy. “The unemployment rate in the country is the highest in 40 years, but the Telangana government has provided government jobs to 30,000 people and 50,000 more people will get job opportunities,” he said.