Just days before the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Rajasthan is once again in the news for a 'phone tapping' scandal. Lokesh Sharma, former OSD to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, made explosive disclosures regarding the 2020 phone tapping case in a Wednesday press conference. He stated, 'Despite extensive interrogation by the Crime Branch in Delhi spanning over 8 to 9 hours on multiple occasions, I had remained silent so far, but the person responsible for the tapping incident decided to abandon me midstream. I was made a scapegoat and left to deal with the consequences.'
Lokesh Sharma accused Ashok Gehlot of handing him the phone recordings of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and others. He claimed, 'Previously, I had mentioned that I received the recordings via social media, but that wasn't true. Ashok Gehlot provided me with a pen drive containing audio clips of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Congress leader Bhanwarlal Sharma, which I was instructed to release to the media. It's incorrect to state that the BJP was behind the attempt to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. Sachin Pilot wanted to convey his feelings about the state leadership to the party high command.'
'My mentor used me for political purposes'
According to the allegations made by Lokesh Sharma, when Sachin Pilot and his close associates were planning to meet with the high command, their phones were tapped. During the press conference, Lokesh Sharma played a recording of his alleged conversation with Ashok Gehlot, where Gehlot is heard asking Sharma whether the phone used to send recordings to journalists had been destroyed. To this, Lokesh responds, 'I informed the media that the audio recording reached me through social media.'
The former OSD stated, 'My mentor (Ashok Gehlot) used me for political purposes. He thought I had not destroyed the phone. I had no role in the phone tapping. On 26th November 2021, my office was raided by the SOG. This shows the reality of Ashok Gehlot, how he uses people for his own benefit and then casts them aside. The phones of Sachin Pilot and others were under surveillance. Phones of several legislators held captive were also tapped. Discussions at the then Chief Minister's residence were held on how to tarnish the images of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Sachin Pilot.'
'Attempts made to shield the accused in the paper leak case'
In the press conference, Lokesh Sharma revealed a second alleged phone recording addressing the paper leak case, supposedly featuring a conversation between Ashok Gehlot and Bhanwar Lal Sharma. Sharma commented, 'Ashok Gehlot was greatly apprehensive about the handling of the paper leak case. Efforts were made to thwart any action against the accused, DP Jaroli. I am ready to share the evidence I hold with the current government to inform the people of the state about the dual nature of the former government - one face in public and another behind closed doors. There was significant corruption in procuring equipment during the pandemic, and the mining scandal surfaced.'
Lokesh Sharma stated, 'During the previous Congress government's tenure (under Ashok Gehlot), there were scams in rural and urban sports alike. Scandals surfaced in the scheme meant for distributing mobile phones to women. Ashok Gehlot's stubbornness is such that he thinks no one else but him should become the Chief Minister. He even deceived the Congress high command that supported him. He called me upon visiting the Tanot Mata Temple in Jaisalmer, ensuring news coverage that he wants to appoint someone from the gathering of MLAs at Shanti Dhariwal's residence as Chief Minister, but not Sachin Pilot.'
