Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tapping his phone and claimed that evidence supporting his allegation was stored on the device he was carrying.
Speaking during an interactive ‘Ask Me’ session on Instagram, Gandhi held up his phone and said the Prime Minister was aware of the alleged tapping. He also renewed his call for a one-on-one public debate with Modi on several political and national issues.
“The proof is in this phone, and the PM knows it since he taps my phone,” Gandhi said during the online interaction.
Gandhi did not provide verifiable technical evidence during the session to substantiate the phone-tapping allegation.
He has made similar claims in the past, including an allegation in 2023 that Pegasus spyware had been installed on his phone and those of several other politicians. Gandhi had also said that intelligence officers had warned him to be cautious while speaking on the phone because conversations were being recorded.
The Centre had rejected those allegations.
On Friday, Gandhi said a direct debate with the Prime Minister would settle, “once and for all”, questions over who was foreign-controlled and who was an anti-national. He maintained that he had proof against Modi and again pressed for a one-on-one discussion.
Friday’s comments came after Gandhi had publicly challenged the Prime Minister to a debate for the seventh time in 12 days. The Congress leader has sought an open discussion on electoral processes, foreign influence and national security, among other matters.
BJP leaders have repeatedly dismissed Gandhi’s demands, alleging that he avoids substantive debates in Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier asked why Gandhi was urging the Prime Minister to select a venue when Parliament was already available for discussion.