Our phones are being tapped, says Ramalinga Reddy

Phone tapping and snooping of Ministers is again in the news in poll-bound Karnataka. On Thursday, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of tapping phones of several Ministers and Congress leaders in the State. Mr. Reddy told presspersons here that he would soon complain to the Union Home Minister on this. Asked if his phone was also being tapped, he said that he was not bothered even if it was done. “I will speak to officials on Friday and write to the Union Home Minister,” he said. “I have been saying since long that in Karnataka, phones of several Ministers and Congress leaders are being tapped. We are aware how they are tapping,” the Minister said, and added that this was being done as elections were nearing. Asked how he could blame the Centre for phone tapping, Mr. Reddy said, “Who else, if not them, will do it? Will we do it for ourselves? They are doing it.” Recently, Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar and KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao had complained that their phones were being tapped. They had also made a similar accusation against the Centre. Source: The Hindu