BJP leaders phones tapped under Fadnavis govt, says Deshmukh

The Maharashtra government has information that phones of some BJP leaders too were tapped during the previous Devendra Fadnavis regime and the matter will be probed, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said here on Friday.

A two-member committee is looking into complaints of tapping of phones of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress leaders during the Assembly elections held in October last year.

Deshmukh’s remark comes a day after disgruntled BJP leader Eknath Khadse welcomed the probe by the Uddhav Thackeray government into the alleged tapping of phones.

Khadse, however, had reportedly said he did not think his phone was being tapped during the previous BJP-Shiv Sena regime. “We received several complaints of tapping of phones of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress leaders during the Assembly election. We have formed a two-member committee to probe the issue,” Deshmukh said.

“As these (complaints) were being probed, we received more information that phones of some BJP leaders too were being tapped. Hence, this will also be probed,” he added.

The BJP and Fadnavis have routinely denied the claims of phone tapping.