BS Yediyurappa orders CBI probe into phone tapping
Sources said Yediyurappa had briefed BJP national president Amit Shah on the tapping during his meeting with him in Delhi on Saturday.
Bengaluru: Just days after the telephone tapping scandal broke out, in which fingers were pointed at former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy’s involvement, chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Sunday said he had decided to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the phone tapping adding that he was doing this on the demand of several leaders including Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah whose phone was also allegedly tapped.
Soon after the fall of the 14-month-old Congress-JD(S) coalition government in July, disqualified JD(S) MLA A.H. Vishwanath had dropped a bombshell accusing Mr Kumaraswamy of getting the phones of senior polit-icians — Mr Siddarama-iah, Mr Yediyurappa and the 17 disqualified Congress and JD(S) lawmakers who brought down his (Kumaraswamy) government, tapped through the state police.
The tapping scandal has also taken ties between the coalition partners Congress and JD(S), to a new low. It angered Congress leaders who wanted a fair probe into the Audiogate scandal as they were upset over the alleged tapping of phones of Congress MLAs and also of the media adviser to Mr Siddaramaiah.
Though, initially, the CM did not show much interest in ordering an inquiry because of the ramifications with political bigwigs involved, he was virtually ‘forced’ to refer it to the CBI as per the directions of BJP national leaders, said sources.
It is learnt that BJP national working president J.P. Nadda spoke to Mr Yediyurappa Sunday morning and asked him to announce a CBI probe into the scandal.
Sources said Mr Yediyurappa had briefed BJP national president Amit Shah on the tapping during his meeting with him in Delhi on Saturday.
Since the matter comes under the purview of the Union home ministry, Mr Shah asked Mr Nadda to inform Mr Yediyurappa to make an announcement in this regard, after his return to Bengaluru, sources added.
The CM said the government will issue a formal order to this effect on Monday. Close on the heels of this announcement, state DG&IGP Neelamani Raju met the CM and briefed him about thepreliminary inquiry conducted by senior IPS officer Mr Sandeep Patil into phone tapping. Later, Mr Yediyurappa also summoned Mr Patil to know more about his inquiry report.