Rahul Gandhi alleges phone tapping; Nana Patole says his phone was tapped too

The issue of phone tapping has heated up again in national politics. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Union government is tapping his phone. Gandhi has claimed that all the evidence for his allegations is on his phone.

Following his claim, the Maharashtra Congress has also taken a sharp stand. Congress leader and MLA Nana Patole said his phone had also been tapped. According to Patole, Gandhi's allegations are not false but the reality. He claimed his phone was tapped in Maharashtra during the tenure of the then Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.

Patole named Rashmi Shukla in the matter. He claimed that Shukla was sent to the Centre during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Later, under the BJP government, she was brought back to Maharashtra and given an extension in the post of DG. Patole accused the BJP of practising a politics of tapping opponents' phones and blackmailing them.

Patole said the allegations are politically serious and the Union government should explain itself. He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come forward, answer in the matter and apologise publicly to the country. Patole also warned that a intense mass agitation would be launched if the matter was not set right.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also targeted the BJP on the issue. He recalled that reports of opposition leaders' phones being tapped through Pegasus spyware had earlier surfaced internationally. Chavan also expressed the view that high-level permission is necessary to tap the phones of major political leaders.

With Gandhi's allegations on one side and the statements of Patole and Chavan on the other, the issue of phone tapping is back in discussion. Political circles are now watching how the Union government and the BJP respond to the allegations.