JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Assembly saw stormy exchanges and intense political turmoil following the phone-tapping allegations by Agriculture Minister Kirori Lal Meena on Friday. Minister Meena claimed that the BJP-led state government was tapping his phone, sparking a major uproar in the House on the final day of discussion on the Governor's address.
Kirori Lal Meena had publicly stated during a program on Thursday, "My own government is tapping my phone. CID has been assigned to keep surveillance on me." His statement has triggered a massive political controversy and raised grave questions about internal conflicts within the ruling BJP.
Seizing on the minister’s remarks, the opposition created chaos in the Assembly, demanding Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s resignation and a clear explanation on the phone-tapping charges. Repeated disruptions forced multiple adjournments throughout the day.
While the opposition accused the government of spying on its own ministers, the Minister of State for Home Affairs rejected the allegations outright.
"We do not tap the phones of ministers or MLAs," he stated.
However, Leader of Opposition Govind Singh Dotasra countered, "A Cabinet Minister himself is alleging phone tapping. This means the government is spying on its own ministers. How can such a government be trusted?"
Amid the heated debate between the opposition and the ruling party, Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani rebuked opposition members, stating, "You are lowering the dignity of the House. Let the proceedings continue. If you don’t want to engage in discussions, we will have no solution."
Meanwhile, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel accused the Congress of creating unnecessary drama. He said, "The government attempted a dialogue thrice, but Congress MLAs refuse to engage. They are disregarding parliamentary traditions. They have no issue, no facts. Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra doesn’t want Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie to speak, which is why they have orchestrated this chaos."
Adding fuel to the fire, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to social media platform X to criticize the Bhajan Lal government. He wrote, "During our tenure, I had assured on the floor of the House that no minister, MP, or MLA’s phone was or will be put under surveillance. But now, the BJP government’s own cabinet minister is alleging phone tapping, exposing the BJP’s reality. This is serious because the allegations are not politically motivated but made by a minister from their own government. The truth must come out. The Chief Minister must answer in the House."
Experts, however, believe that Gehlot may soon have to distance himself from the matter, as he too had faced similar allegations during his tenure.
In 2020, following Sachin Pilot's rebellion, Gehlot's government was accused of tapping the phones of party leaders and MLAs. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was allegedly among those under surveillance. Later, Gehlot’s former OSD, Lokesh Sharma, reportedly presented evidence supporting these claims in the media.