Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the Telangana movement symbolised self-respect and collective struggle but the illegal tapping of phones of Telangana citizens, officers, political leaders and even their family members was an insult to the self-respect.
Describing it as a ‘heinous crime’ that strikes at the very foundation of the Telangana Statehood movement, he asked the BRS leadership to introspect why they had to insult the Telangana society with such a crime.
Speaking to reporters in Husnabad, he alleged that when those involved in the case were summoned as part of the investigation, they attempted to create unrest by calling for violent protests and trying to gain political mileage.
“If an investigation causes so much discomfort, it only raises serious questions. By tapping phones, you intrude into the private lives of individuals and collect information related to their economic, business, political, professional and family matters,” Mr. Prabhakar said. He asserted that the law would take its own course and clarified that there was no element of vendetta or conspiracy in the investigation.
At another press conference, senior Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone tapping case had already questioned several individuals and that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was examined as part of the same process.
He wondered why the BRS was suddenly invoking the issue of self-respect. “When TRS was renamed as BRS, did self-respect not come to mind then?” he questioned. He criticised BRS leaders for speaking about vendetta and self-respect now, pointing out that cases were filed against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and he was sent to jail earlier. “Was that not vendetta?” he asked.
Published – February 02, 2026 09:43 pm IST
