Trouble mounts for Ashok Gehlot as his ex-OSD blames him for phone tapping: 'CM had called me...'

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's ex-Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Lokesh Sharma, has blamed him for the phone-tapping controversy that emerged during the 2020 political crisis in the state. Sharma has called for Gehlot to be interrogated in connection with the case, which was initiated on a complaint by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Sharma was questioned by Delhi Police on Wednesday at the Crime Branch office in Rohini regarding the phone-tapping incident. Following the session, Sharma submitted a seven-page written statement detailing the events of July 16, 2020, when he allegedly received a pen drive containing call recordings from Gehlot, with instructions to circulate them to the media.

"I have stated that the then chief minister had called me at the chief minister’s residence and gave me a pen drive. He directed me to circulate the content of the pen drive to newspapers. I went (my) home, transferred the files from the pen drive to my laptop and from laptop to my phone, then circulated them to media houses as directed," he told PTI.

He said the crime branch should now summon Gehlot for questioning to know the rest of the details. "The next course of investigation should involve Ashok Gehlot," he said, adding that he was not involved in the call interceptions. "It was done on the directions of the then chief minister. Now he can disclose further details, whether how the interception was done, whether it was legal or illegal," he said.

Sharma claimed that Gehlot would be able to provide details on how the call interceptions were conducted and whether they were legal. This marks a shift from Sharma's earlier position, where he claimed to have obtained three audio clips from social media, which he then forwarded to media outlets. 

According to Sharma, the phone interceptions targeted several Congress MLAs from both the Gehlot and Sachin Pilot camps during the political turmoil. He alleged that top state officials, including the then chief secretary, Director General of Police, home secretary, and the chief minister’s principal secretary, were all aware of the phone-tapping activities.

After voting for two-phase Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan was over in April this year, Sharma had accused Gehlot of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish the image of Sachin Pilot and Shekhawat, keeping phones of Pilot and other Congress leaders on surveillance.

The phone-tapping controversy initially erupted in July 2020 when audio clips of alleged conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders discussing efforts to topple the Gehlot government were leaked. At the time, Gehlot accused Shekhawat of orchestrating the plot.

Sharma has now urged the crime branch to summon Gehlot for questioning, stating, "The next course of investigation should involve Ashok Gehlot." He maintained that he had no role in the actual phone interceptions, claiming it was done on Gehlot's orders.

The political crisis in 2020 began when then-deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs rebelled against Gehlot, leading to a period of instability for the Congress government in Rajasthan.

(With inputs from PTI)