New Delhi: Government put its weight behind its ally and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu on unauthorised phone tapping charges made by him and said it is a "serious matter".
Noting that the country was governed by many states, government also had a piece of advice saying the sanctity of the office of Chief Minister needs to be respected by all.
"As Telecom Minister of the country, let me say that if he is making an allegation of unauthorised tapping of his mobile phone, it is a serious matter," Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
On charges of fabrication of his voice in a tape in the much-talked about cash-for vote scam involving Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu, the Minister said, "I think being a country governed by many states, the sanctity of the office of Chief Minister needs to be respected."
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister was caught in a row in the wake of some news channels airing an audio recording of a purported conversation Naidu had with a nominated legislator seeking his vote in the Legislative Council elections in Telangana.
Meanwhile, in a fresh twist in the cash-for-votes scam, Andhra Pradesh police has registered a case against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao over the alleged illegal tapping of the phones of Naidu.
A probe has also been initiated by Telangana government on the cash-for-vote scam, leading to a bitter fight between top leaders ruling the two states carved out of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
