Gujarat Congress accuses Narendra Modi of phone tapping

Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil today alleged chief minister Narendra Modi used to get phones of politicians, including those from BJP and opposition, tapped, a charge rejected by the ruling party.

The leader of opposition in the assembly distributed to media a copy of what he claimed the register of a senior IPS officer in support of his charge of telephone tapping by Modi. The register belonged to ex-additional DGP RB Sreekumar.

The state BJP, however, reacted strongly to Gohil's allegation, saying the Congress leader was "out of his mind" and was levelling "baseless" charges against Modi.

State BJP vice-president Purshottam Rupala, in a statement, said it was the Centre, which controls telecom companies, that was tapping phones of the Gujarat government.

Gohil said according to the register, which Sreekumar had maintained when we was in charge of state IB, Modi had asked for phone call records of slain former Minister Haren Pandya. Sreekumar was heading the state IB during 2002 riots.

He further said Modi had also asked state IB to tap phone of Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela in April 2002, when he was the state party chief.