Rahul Gandhi Phone Tapping Row Deepens, Aaditya Thackeray Backs Him While Ravi Kishan Mocks Claim

The political row over Rahul Gandhi’s claim that his phone is being tapped sharpened on Saturday, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray backing the Leader of Opposition and alleging that intelligence agencies were being used against political opponents, journalists and dissenting voices. The BJP kept up its attack on Gandhi’s charge, with MP Ravi Kishan mocking him over the purported "potato-to-gold" remark.

The latest clash has put surveillance and the use of intelligence infrastructure at the centre of a wider political fight. Thackeray argued that such systems should be used against terrorism, crime and threats to national security, while Congress leaders pressed for an inquiry and repeated Gandhi’s accusation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about the alleged tapping.

The exchanges followed Gandhi’s remarks on Friday, when he alleged that Modi was aware of the purported surveillance and had his phone tapped. Congress later shared his comments in a video on X. The BJP has rejected the charge and asked for evidence, turning the issue into a fresh face-off between the ruling party and the Opposition.

Thackeray Backs Gandhi

Thackeray backed Gandhi in Mumbai. He alleged that the intelligence set-up was being used against critics instead of security threats. "Even before this, on one hand, this whole setup and force is being used against political opponents, journalists, and all the different voices in the country. If all these systems, this entire intelligence network, were used against anti-national activities, terrorists, and criminals instead, I think it would actually benefit this government and the country," he told reporters in Mumbai.

Thackeray said the intelligence and surveillance network should instead be directed towards terrorism, criminal activity and threats to national security. He also referred to earlier allegations of surveillance in Maharashtra and said Congress leader Nana Patole had raised the issue in the state Assembly and read out a list of names.

He linked the latest dispute to the Pegasus controversy. That reference widened the political context of Gandhi’s allegation and brought back earlier questions over how surveillance tools were allegedly used.

Congress Demands Probe

Ramesh Babu backed Gandhi’s allegation and claimed more Congress leaders were under watch. "It is not an allegation; it is a fact. The central government is tapping telephones--not only Rahul Gandhi 's, but those of several Congress leaders," Babu told reporters in Bengaluru.

He challenged the BJP-led government to order a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge. "If the BJP has the guts, let them have an inquiry conducted by a sitting Supreme Court judge. They will definitely be exposed. Merely issuing a statement is not the answer," he said.

These reactions came a day after Gandhi’s own remarks. On Friday, he alleged that Modi knew about the purported surveillance and had his phone tapped. "The Prime Minister is aware of this because he has my phone tapped," Gandhi said in a video shared by the Congress on X.

Gandhi also repeated his challenge to the prime minister for an open debate. He claimed information on alleged links with foreign powers was available on his phone and argued that a public debate would bring the matter into the open.

Support for Gandhi extended beyond Babu. Earlier, Congress leaders including Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, Ajay Rai, Salman Khurshid and Renuka Chowdhury had backed him and questioned whether Opposition leaders were being watched. Kharge referred to Pegasus, while Khurshid said Gandhi would have made the allegation after careful consideration.

BJP Mocks Claims

In Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, BJP MP Ravi Kishan mocked Gandhi by invoking the controversial "potato-to-gold" remark associated with him. "It is unclear which country's operatives might be tapping his phone, but I suspect that any top-tier global intelligence agency would certainly want to access and tap his device. After all, everyone knows his phone contains the 'formula' for turning potatoes into gold—a formula possessed exclusively by Rahul Gandhi. That is likely why his phone is being tapped; the formula is, after all, invaluable," Kishan said.

His comments came amid a string of sharp exchanges between Congress and BJP leaders over the surveillance allegation. The BJP has consistently rejected Gandhi’s charge, with several leaders questioning his credibility and demanding proof.

Keralam BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Union Minister BL Verma were among those who dismissed the allegation. The party line remained that a charge of this kind needed evidence and that Gandhi had not provided any.

Congress leaders kept up their attack. B K Hariprasad criticised Modi over earlier phone-tapping allegations dating to his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister. He also accused the prime minister of avoiding Gandhi’s call for a public debate and said Opposition leaders would not be intimidated by alleged surveillance.

The back-and-forth has pushed Pegasus and the use of surveillance infrastructure back into the political spotlight. Congress is seeking an independent investigation, while the BJP continues to reject the allegation outright.