The Capital News
Vijayawada: April 12: Former Rajya Sabha member of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar, sent a letter to the Central Election Commission, raising serious concerns about the alleged tapping of TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh’s phone. The letter detailed intercepted messages on Lokesh’s iPhone, reportedly using Pegasus spyware software, which came to light in March, 2024. These revelations have sparked controversy and calls for investigations into potential breaches of privacy and misuse of surveillance tools.
The allegations in the letter are pointed towards Andhra Pradesh’s Director General of Police (DGP) Rajendranadh Reddy and Intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu. Kumar accuses them of acting as representatives of the ruling party and engaging in activities deemed anti-constitutional. The letter further claims that the DGP and the Intelligence chief are conducting surveillance on members of the NDA coalition.
Specifically, the letter accuses DGP Rajendranadh Reddy of working against orders given by the Supreme Court in the case of the appointment of Prakash Singh, allegedly in favor of the ruling YSRCP government. Similar allegations are made against PSR Anjaneyulu, suggesting his alignment with the ruling party and engaging in activities detrimental to fair governance and democratic principles. The allegations also extend to the manipulation of elections and influencing officials in key positions.
The TDP has demanded concrete action against both senior IPS officers from the Election Commission and called for the removal of both officers from their posts and replacing them with new officials.