Rebel YSRC MP in AP alleges phone tapping; Writes to Centre

Rebel MP of the ruling YSR Congress K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju on Sunday alleged his two mobile phones were being illegally tapped for the past few months by the state Intelligence authorities of Andhra Pradesh. In a letter to Union Home Secretary A K Bhalla, the Lok Sabha member from Narsapuram, also alleged he was getting threatening calls from strange numbers displaying codes of Romania, Denmark, Switzerland, South Korea and Spain.

"Kindly instruct the authorities concerned to investigate from when my phones are being tapped and identify the persons responsible for such criminal activities," the MP requested the Home Secretary.

For the last few months, I am getting frequent disturbances and noises in my mobile phones and I reliably learnt that our state Intelligence department is tapping my phones, which is a blatant violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, he said in the letter, accessed by PTI. Referring to the various parliamentary committees of which he is a member, Raju said there would be confidential and classified information shared and discussed in telephonic conversations with colleague MPs and Parliament staff.

Any leak of such confidential information would not only be a serious impediment to the performance of my duties and obligations but also would be detrimental to national interest, the MP, who is also chairman of the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Subordinate Legislation, averred.

Raju had been critical of the YSRC for some time now and had a verbal spat with the party legislators from West Godavari district. The YSRC has approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking his disqualification while Raju got Y category security cover from the Central Armed Police Force after petitioning the Union Home Minister.