New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit out at the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was tapping his phone, dismissing the charge as “baseless” and questioning the evidence behind it.
BJP leaders accused Rahul Gandhi of making repeated unsubstantiated allegations to remain in the news, with some questioning why he had not submitted his phone for examination if he believed it was being tapped.
They also alleged that the LoP’s statements contradicted his demand for a debate with the Prime Minister.
The controversy erupted after Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that Prime Minister Modi was tapping his phone.
The remark came in response to a question from an Instagram user after the Congress leader invited suggestions on topics that could be discussed during a proposed debate with the Prime Minister.
Speaking to IANS, Minister of State B.L. Verma said the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi in the past and present had no evidence to support them.
“The kind of allegations Rahul Gandhi ji is making now, and has made in the past, have no evidence and fall flat. When the (Congress) talk about a debate, they run away when the House is in session and do not have the courage to debate. There is a big difference between what they say and what they do. Therefore, I would say that Rahul Gandhi should not make such baseless allegations without evidence. If he continues to make such allegations, the people of the country are watching everything and, when the time comes, they will give him a befitting reply,” Verma added.
BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh also questioned the Congress leader’s claims and suggested that he submit his phone to the police for verification.
“Rahul Gandhi makes up false claims just to remain in the news. He comes up with a new lie every day. If his phone is being tapped, ask him to go to the local police station and submit his phone. That will clear everything up. A few days ago, he made a similar allegation and approached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court asked him to submit his phone, but he is not doing so,” Singh said.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying, “Look, some foreigner has hacked Rahul Gandhi. Nobody needs to hack his phone.”
BJP leader Nalin Kohli said Rahul Gandhi appeared to be following a strategy of making serious allegations without providing evidence and subsequently demanding a debate with the Prime Minister.
“It seems that Mr. Rahul Gandhi is obsessed with this new strategy of his: make a false, blatant and rather outrageous allegation, something like ‘my phone is being tapped’, provide no evidence, and then sit back and say, ‘I need to have a debate with the Honourable Prime Minister.’ It is easy to have a debate if you just attend Parliament. Go ahead, attend Parliament, follow the rules and debate on anything you like,” Kohli added.
BJP National Spokesperson Tuhin Sinha also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s claims, referring to his earlier allegations of vote theft.
“He (Rahul Gandhi) makes baseless allegations that he is unable to substantiate. When he fails to prove them, he comes up with a new allegation two days later. It has been more than a month since he went to meet the Honourable President. The President had asked him to provide evidence of vote theft, but he has still not been able to produce any evidence. In the meantime, he also travelled abroad but could not find any evidence there either. Now he is claiming that his phone is being tapped because it contains evidence. What is the point of keeping evidence on a phone? If he has evidence, let him present it,” Sinha said.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders defended Rahul Gandhi and expressed concern over his allegation.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said, “What could be more shameful than the Leader of the Opposition having to tell the people of the country that his phone is being tapped? What could be more shameful than this?”
Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said Rahul Gandhi’s statements should be taken seriously, while clarifying that he had no independent information about the alleged phone tapping.
“Whatever Rahul ji says, he says after giving it considerable thought. We cannot comment further, as our information comes only from his statements and we do not have independent information. He speaks thoughtfully, knowing that his words may have a far-reaching impact,” Khurshid added.
Congress MP Imran Masood also targeted the Prime Minister, alleging that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks had created fear within the BJP leadership.
“The Prime Minister is feeling scared. The Prime Minister is frightened. The fear of Rahul ji has completely overwhelmed him,” Masood said.
(IANS)
