Dropping a bombshell, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief YS Sharmila has claimed that the previous AP and Telangana governments put her and her close aides under surveillance by tapping their phones on the alleged instructions of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the behest of her brother YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who was in power in the neighbouring state.
Sharmila, who is estranged from her brother, further alleged that their uncle, GV Subba Rao, had informed her that her phones were being tapped to stifle her financial and political growth. Her allegations come at a time when Telangana police are investigating alleged surveillance operations carried out by former special intelligence bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao during the tenure of K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Sharmila, currently on a tour of Visakhapatnam, alleged that Rao, popularly known as KCR, colluded with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to suppress her growth in both financial and political fields. She said, “My phone, my husband’s, and my associates’ phones were tapped,” and added, “YV Subba Reddy personally told me that my phone was being tapped.”
She said that KCR and his son, KT Rama Rao, were close to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and that their bond was stronger than even her own familial bond with him. She specifically alleged that the phone tapping was a joint operation between the two states, with information being shared between them. Sharmila added that she was willing to swear on the Bible and cooperate fully with any ongoing investigation into phone tapping in Telangana.
The Telangana police are currently conducting a probe into the alleged phone tapping during the BRS regime, ordered by the Congress government after assuming power. Sleuths are interrogating former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao following his return from the US, but according to sources, he has proved to be a hard nut to crack.