Chandrashekhar Bawankule says BJP workers’ phones under watch; Sanjay Raut seeks his arrest over ‘potentially anti-national act’

Warning BJP workers on Thursday, Bawankule said, “Everyone’s mobile phones and WhatsApp groups are under surveillance. Every word you speak is being monitored. A single wrong button on your phone can destroy the next five years.” The event, organised by the Bhandara district unit of the BJP, was attended by several senior leaders of the party, including Guardian Minister Pankaj Bhoyar.

The minister added that discontent over ticket distribution should not translate into public outbursts or indiscipline. “Sometimes workers or office-bearers who are upset about not getting a ticket create a scene or express anger. But now, if anyone rebels, the doors of leadership will be closed for them,” Bawankule said.

Urging restraint and unity, Bawankule told party members that “a single mistake or dissenting statement could harm both the city and the BJP’s prospects.” “Your one wrong decision can ruin Bhandara’s future and damage the party. Don’t let a wrong click or careless message harm the development work being done under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

Register offence, says Sanjay Raut
Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut hit out strongly at the minister, demanding his immediate arrest over the remarks. “An offence should be registered against Chandrashekhar Bawankule under the Indian Telegraph Act, and he should be arrested and interrogated immediately. Has he personally acquired a Pegasus-type surveillance machine, installed it in the BJP office, or engaged private agents for this purpose?” Raut asked.

The Sena (UBT) MP further alleged that the issue went beyond the saffron party. “This is not limited to the BJP. The phones of several Opposition leaders in Maharashtra are being tapped and their WhatsApp messages monitored. Bawankule himself has said so. In fact, Bawankule, Ravindra Chavan, some builders from Mumbai and certain networks in Nagpur have come together to set up a ‘war room’ from where even the phones of leaders of the (Shiv Sena’s) Shinde faction are under surveillance,” Raut added.

Raut alleged that prominent leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Ajit Pawar, and journalists are under surveillance. He also raised questions about the involvement of BJP offices, private individuals, and technology networks, calling the statement “a highly serious and potentially anti-national act.”

Raut referred to 2019, saying that phone tapping had already taken place during the previous BJP government. “This statement confirms that monitoring continues today. Those responsible for surveillance were afraid of being caught, and now the minister himself is openly talking about it,” he said. He demanded that the Union Home Ministry and state authorities take immediate action, dismiss those responsible, and launch legal proceedings, stressing that monitoring of opposition leaders, allies, and journalists is a grave offence.

The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the neutrality of the administration, suggesting that even Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s phone could be under surveillance because of internal party conflicts.

Raut said there is no trust in the system, alleging that the government is using surveillance to target political rivals and manipulate internal dissent.

Bawankule clarifies

Clarifying his earlier remarks, Bawankule said on Friday, “I made that statement yesterday during a meeting of BJP workers. The work our party workers do, the comments they make, and their reactions on WhatsApp are reviewed through our party’s war room. During election time, everyone contributes to the party’s activities.”

“The focus is on ensuring that the work assigned by the party is carried out effectively. The development schemes brought in by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the initiatives introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government are all monitored by us that is what I meant when I said we ‘keep an eye’ on things,” he said.

Responding to Sanjay Raut’s demand for his arrest, Bawankule said, “Who is Sanjay Raut to tell us how we should run our party? Why is he so irritated? In our party, we regularly communicate with our workers and exchange ideas through WhatsApp. That is the context in which I made my statement.”

The state is gearing up for long-delayed elections to its local self-government bodies, including municipal corporations, municipal councils, zilla parishads as well as panchayat samitis. The elections were stalled for years, largely due to unresolved issues around reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in wards and delimitation of electoral boundaries.

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