Telangana BJP chief calls phone-tapping probe 'procedural', alleges Congress delaying investigation

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 1 (ANI): Amid rising political tensions in Telangana over the ongoing probe into Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao said on Sunday that he would not comment on the matter, calling it a procedural issue.
He said that following the disclosure of alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS government and the arrest of some police officers, the Congress government has begun examining ministers and key leaders who were in power at that time. Leaders, including KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao, have already been summoned, and notices have now been issued to former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).
The Congress government, after the disclosure of the BRS government's phone tapping and arresting some police officers, is now they are examinining the ministers and important people in the BRS party who were in power then. Now, KTR, Harish Rao, all these people called; now they have even given notice to KCR. Its a procedural aspect, we don't want to comment on that," Rao told ANI.
The Telangana BJP chief further alleged that the Congress government was delaying the investigation, despite having promised to jail the real culprits within 100 days. He said that any notice issued by the police, even to a Chief Minister, must be respected.
"Already the Congress government is delaying the investigation, slowly the investigation is going on, though the Congress government had promised that within 100 days the real culprit should be behind bars, and in notice to any CM, when it is given by police, one has to respect it," Rao told ANI.
The phone tapping case relates to widespread allegations of illegal phone surveillance and interception of media industry bigwigs, retired cops, and politicians during the BRS government tenure. Former DCP P. Radhakrishna Rao alleged that it was done to monitor then-Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's political rivals.
Earlier, on January 30, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping case issued fresh notices to former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). The SIT has asked KCR to be ready for questioning at his Hyderabad residence on Sunday afternoon. KCR is yet to respond to the notices.
Earlier, former minister Harish Rao, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR), and former BRS MP Santosh Rao were questioned by the SIT at its Jubilee Hills office in connection with the same case. (ANI)