Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 15 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray backed Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's allegations of phone tapping, claiming that the intelligence "networks" were being used to target political opponents, journalists and other dissenting voices.
He further suggested that the entire intelligence network be used against "anti-national activities, terrorists, and criminals instead" so that it benefits the country.
"You might be feeling that too. Write it down, 100%. And they probably already know you're going to ask me this question," Thackeray told reporters here.
"But let me tell you, even before this, on one hand, this whole setup and force is being used against political opponents, journalists, and all the different voices in the country. If all these systems, this entire intelligence network, were used against anti-national activities, terrorists, and criminals instead, I think it would actually benefit this government and the country," he said.
When asked about allegations of phone tapping that UBT Sena had raised against certain individuals in Maharashtra earlier, Thackeray said that the matter was being raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and said that Congress leader Nana Patole had read out a list of names in the House.
"There were no allegations; he even read it out in the assembly. In fact, Nana Patole himself read it out, reading out a bunch of names, and right then and there, the whole Pegasus thing came out in front of everyone," the UBT Sena leader said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Babu termed the phone-tapping allegations a matter of fact while accusing the Central government of tapping the telephones of senior party leader Rahul Gandhi and several other members.
"It is not an allegation; it is a fact. The central government is tapping telephones--not only Rahul Gandhi's, but those of several Congress leaders," Babu told reporters in Bengaluru.
He challenged the Centre to order an inquiry into the matter by a sitting Supreme Court judge, claiming such an investigation would expose the alleged surveillance.
"If the BJP has the guts, let them have an inquiry conducted by a sitting Supreme Court judge. They will definitely be exposed. Merely issuing a statement is not the answer," he said, arguing that the issue had been raised by Rahul Gandhi in his capacity as the LoP and not by an ordinary citizen.
"This issue has not been raised by common people--Rahul Gandhi is not only a Congress leader, but he is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said.
However, BJP MP Ravi Kishan Shukla took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the LoP's phone was being tapped to extract the "formula for turning potatoes into gold".
"It is unclear which country's operatives might be tapping his phone, but I suspect that any top-tier global intelligence agency would certainly want to access and tap his device. After all, everyone knows his phone contains the 'formula' for turning potatoes into gold--a formula possessed exclusively by Rahul Gandhi. That is likely why his phone is being tapped; the formula is, after all, invaluable," Kishan said in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.
Earlier on Friday, Rahul Gandhi levelled serious allegations of him being surveilled by the Central government, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was having his phone tapped, while once again calling for the Prime Minister to agree to an open debate against him.
"The Prime Minister is aware of this because he has my phone tapped. The day he agrees to a face-to-face debate, everyone will learn who is under the control of foreign powers, who is anti-national, and how long they have been involved in anti-national activities," Gandhi said in a video posted by Congress on X.
He said that the proof of PM Modi being under the control of "foreign powers" is already on his phone and that the PM already knows what the proof is.
"The moment he (PM Modi) comes for an open debate, everybody will know who is being controlled by foreign powers, is an anti-national, since when, and lots of other details that I know and are on my phone," Gandhi said. (ANI)
Intelligence network used against political opponents, journalists instead of terrorists: Aaditya Thackeray on Rahul Gandhi's phone-tapping allegations
