In a recent statement, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot addressed allegations of phone tapping made by his former Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Lokesh Sharma, emphasizing the commonplace nature of party switching in politics. Gehlot underscored the importance of focusing on truth amid such political dynamics rather than getting entangled in allegations.
The controversy arose last week when Sharma claimed that Gehlot had provided him with an audio clip of a phone conversation allegedly involving Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and certain Congress figures discussing the ousting of the then Congress government in 2020. According to Sharma, Gehlot also tapped the phones of rebel Congress leaders, including Sachin Pilot, and provided him with audio clips of their conversations.
Sharma disclosed these details during a press conference in Jaipur, asserting that Gehlot had personally handed him a pen drive containing incriminating audio clips, which he was instructed to circulate on social media. Sharma alleged that Gehlot’s motive was to implicate the BJP in the matter, particularly Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and portray them as orchestrating the government’s downfall.
Responding to these allegations, senior Rajasthan BJP leader Rajendra Rathore called for an inquiry into the phone tapping accusations and criticized Gehlot’s attempt to distance himself from Sharma’s claims. Rathore urged Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to initiate an investigation to uncover those responsible for the alleged surveillance and tapping of phones, suggesting a violation of the Telegraph Act 1955.
