BSY wants CBI probe into ‘phone-taps’

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa announced that he would order a CBI probe into allegations of phone-tapping during the tenure of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy. Rebel JD(S)-Congress MLAs, who were disqualified during the fall of that government, had alleged that their phones were being tapped even as hectic negotiations were on to win them back to their respective parties. Former state JD(S) president A H Viswanath had accused the HDK government of eavesdropping on more than 300 leaders, including him. Several Congress leaders too had demanded a probe into the charges. The controversy got a fresh lease of life earlier this month when an audio clip of a telephone conversation between Bengaluru city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao and an alleged power broker was leaked.