Mahabubnagar: In a sensational revelation, Congress leader Marepalli Surender Reddy has alleged that his phone was illegally tapped during the previous regime, dragging Palamuru (Mahabubnagar) into the centre of the growing national controversy over phone tapping and political surveillance.
Speaking in a candid television interview, Surender Reddy accused a top former ruling party leader from Mahabubnagar of orchestrating widespread phone tapping, saying, “Even my phone was tapped. They secretly listened to the personal lives of hundreds of thousands of people. They sowed division among leaders and weakened social unity for selfish political gain.”
He revealed that the content of his private conversations would be reviewed by the said leader the very next day, indicating a sophisticated surveillance system used to track, isolate, and suppress political opponents.
Referring to the period before 2014, Reddy said the people of Palamuru lived in harmony, beyond caste or religion. However, he alleged that a leader who once claimed to be at the forefront of the Telangana movement used the sentiment to divide people and consolidate personal power.
“Earlier, political debates were only on issues—not on personal lives. That changed with the rise of this leader,” Reddy lamented. He further alleged that BC leaders were particularly targeted, with numerous cases filed against them.
In a shocking claim, he said Mallu Narasimha Reddy, now Chairman of the Library Corporation and formerly associated with TRS, was forced to surrender after being shown his own phone recordings and threatened with exposure.
“Phone tapping should never be used for political blackmail. It is a serious national security tool, and only the Centre is authorised to sanction such surveillance,” Surender Reddy asserted.
With these startling accusations, the Palamuru phone tapping controversy has taken a serious turn. Political analysts now say the issue could open up a Pandora’s box in Telangana politics, as more voices are expected to come forward in the days ahead.
