'Chidambaram bugged Pranab Mukherjee's office': Malviya amid Rajasthan phone-tapping row

After phone-tapping allegations against the Rajasthan government resurfaced,  BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya hit out at the Congress questioning why the party mistrusted its colleagues so much. Evoking the infamous bugging scandal that had rocked the UPA Government in 2011, Malviya alleged that the 'circus' went all the way back to senior leader P Chidambaram who used to bug the office of former Finance Minister late Pranab Mukherjee. 

UPA bugging row 2011

The allegations against the Congress party range all the way back to 2011, where then Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy had claimed that Home Minister P Chidambaram was planting devices in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's room at the behest of Sonia Gandhi. Swamy had also alleged that the tapping was being done for the Hasan Ali case which could lead to the release of several other big names. Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) late Sushma Swaraj had called the episode 'India's watergate' and had demanded a thorough probe into the matter. Mukherjee had also raised suspicion over the same and had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

Phone-tapping scandal in Rajasthan

Phone-tapping allegations against the Ashok Gehlot-led government have resurfaced 10 months later after the Sachin Pilot camp claimed that the phones of many of its MLAs were bugged. Speaking to Republic TV, Congress MLA Ved Prakash Solanki stated that this 'constant watch' was creating a fear that they would be framed in the future by the intelligence.and many were contemplating leaving the party. 

"Two-three MLAs have brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister. They have highlighted in front of the CM that the phones of the MLAs are being tapped, and they are being threatened. They have added that they fear their houses will be raided or if not that, then they would be framed in some other matter, and to avoid that they are contemplating leaving," he said.

With the exit of Jitin Prasada sources have revealed that Sachin Pilot is once again miffed with the party high command. His concerns which were to be addressed by a three-member committee formed after the Rajasthan political crisis have not gone as per his wishes. The former Deputy CM who had reached Delhi to speak to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday continues to remain in the capital.