Bengaluru, Mar 24 (PTI) Amid the honey trap controversy, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Monday accused the Congress government of "tapping" the phones of key state leaders, including ministers and ruling party MLAs.

According to him, several ruling party legislators have also admitted to this.

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The BJP leader alleged that the state government was resorting to phone tapping to control both its internal opponents and opposition parties.

"It's happening 100 per cent. Don't doubt it. If they need to send ‘her,' ministers have to be tracked, and for that, phones have to be tapped. This government is fully engaged in phone tapping," Ashoka told reporters.

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He cited "honey trap" attempts, echoing claims by ministers and MLAs.

Ashoka added that he and Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy had previously alleged phone tapping.

Now, even ruling party MLAs claim their phones are being tapped, further substantiating the accusation.

"The government is trying to control its opponents, whether from the ruling party or the opposition. My phone, along with those of all opposition MLAs, is being tapped. This has been happening ever since Congress came to power," he claimed.

Minister K N Rajanna told the Assembly that 48 legislators had fallen victim, with the network operating statewide.

Reacting to these allegations, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar advised Ashoka to file a police complaint.

"If he wants, let him file a police complaint," he said.

Meanwhile, State Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that he had not received any complaints so far.

"We haven't received any complaint yet. We will act immediately if we receive one. After you raised this issue, I verified it, but so far, no police station has received such a complaint," he told reporters.

He added that if a complaint is lodged and an investigation begins, the government will take action.

Parameshwara also acknowledged that intelligence agencies conduct surveillance but emphasised that there must be a valid reason and government approval for such actions.

He further claimed that neither he nor Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had received any complaints regarding phone tapping.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)