Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday accused the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of misusing power and illegally tapping phones to threaten and blackmail people. He alleged that the former regime collected hundreds of crores of rupees from businessmen through such activities.
Speaking at a public meeting in Chelpur in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for February 11, the Chief Minister strongly criticised the BRS. He said the party had run the government through fear and intimidation.
Reddy mockingly referred to the BRS as the “Blackmail Rajakeeya (Political) Samiti”, claiming that blackmail had become their main political tool. He accused the previous government of spying on several people by tapping their telephone conversations.
According to him, the phone tapping was not limited to political rivals. He said opposition leaders, High Court judges, and even journalists were targeted. He also alleged that private conversations of ordinary citizens were monitored.
The Chief Minister further claimed that even personal calls between husbands and wives were listened to. Film stars and well-known personalities were also allegedly placed under surveillance. He said businessmen were especially targeted and forced to pay large sums of money after being threatened.
Questioning the morality of such actions, Reddy said these practices were extremely wrong and unacceptable in a democratic system. He asked the crowd whether anything could be more shameful or illegal than spying on people’s private lives.
The Chief Minister said his government is committed to transparent and honest governance. He assured the public that such misuse of power would not happen under his leadership.
His remarks come as political campaigning intensifies ahead of the upcoming municipal elections, with leaders attacking each other over governance and law and order issues.