Behind the News is your round-up of musings from the corridors of power. Read what goes on behind the scenes for news & newsmakers.
Published Jul 27, 2025 | 4:29 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 27, 2025 | 4:29 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Synopsis: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s take on tapping phones is interesting. He believes it is not wrong unless the number belongs to his family members. Interestingly, this is the same Revanth Reddy who raised a hue and cry over the alleged tapping of his phone when he was in the Opposition.
Remember the old Revanth Reddy? The firebrand opposition leader who roared from every rooftop that his phone was being tapped by the “evil” BRS government? Yes, it is the same man who made “phone-tapping” sound like an act of Satan. Back then, it was a criminal conspiracy worthy of investigation by top probe agencies
Fast forward to now. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has, apparently, had a change of heart. Phone tapping? Oh, nothing illegal about it, he says — just follow the rules! Then he says, tapping phones is okay but not those of own family members. Don’t ask how it is right with some and not with others.
Then, since when did phone tapping get a makeover as a harmless administrative chore? Maybe it is the view from the chief minister’s chair — it comes with a new perspective.
Insiders say this moral volte-face may have been triggered by his own reported accidental confession. At a recent meeting, he is understood to have told a minister that he already knew what he and his friends were up to behind his back. It left everyone wondering: “How exactly did he know?” And that is how the chief minister seems to have stubbed his toe by hinting at the surveillance story.
Now, the same cabinet ministers who can’t stand even the sight of him are supposedly treating this slip-up as a God-send. The rumour mill — working now in double shifts — claims that the ‘in-house rebels’ are trying to report this revelation to the high command, hoping someone in Delhi picks up the line.
Whether the Congress high command entertained these snooping complaints is unclear. But if history is any indicator, they usually love a bite of palace intrigue south of the Vindhyas. If they haven’t responded yet, they’re probably just waiting for clearer call quality — or at least an untapped phone line.
Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy, feeling the heat and watching shadows of his rivals grow longer by the day, is said to be going into damage-control mode. Some say he’s trying to be nicer to his colleagues.
Of course, espionage isn’t new in politics. Governments snoop to protect against enemies of the state. But when the state starts snooping on its ministers, the plot gets murkier, whether under the BRS or the Congress. Telangana isn’t a war zone — unless you count high-voltage bad-mouthing of one leader against the other from their respective party offices.
Yesterday’s “constitutional violation” is today’s “standard operating procedure.” Opposition Revanth Reddy would’ve filed a PIL by now. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy? He is probably wondering what is wrong with eavesdropping.
