Karnataka Assembly erupted into chaos on Wednesday as BJP MLAs accused the Congress government of tapping phones at Lok Bhavan, following Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil’s claim that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot was receiving calls from Delhi and functioning under instructions from the Centre.
The issue emerged during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, which the Governor had refused to read in full on January 22, taking exception to critical references to the Centre and the repeal of the UPA-era MGNREGA. BJP MLAs described the Siddaramaiah-led government as a “phone tapping government” and questioned how ministers knew about calls received by the Governor.
BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said, “Is the government tapping the Raj Bhavan (Lok Bhavan) phones, to know about the Governor getting calls from Delhi?” Sunil Kumar added, “The Law Minister has accepted that the government is tapping the Lok Bhavan phones. How can this be tolerated?” Leader of Opposition R Ashoka also supported the allegations.
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IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge defended Patil, asserting the Governor was “acting like a puppet in the hands of the central government” and alleged some calls originated from the RSS Karnataka State Headquarters. BJP members demanded the ministers provide proof of phone tapping.
Patil asked why neither the Governor nor the Home Ministry had clarified the issue. “What is the Home Ministry doing in Delhi? Should they not at least issue a press note saying there is no communication between the Governor and Home Ministry?” he asked.
Amid heated arguments between opposition and treasury benches, Speaker U T Khader adjourned the House for lunch.
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