Lokesh Sharma alleged in a press conference that he had sent some audio clips to the media during the political crisis. At that time I said that I got this audio from social media. But this is not true.
The issue of phone tapping was in the headlines during the political crisis that hit the previous Gehlot government in 2020. On Wednesday, Lokesh Sharma, the OSD of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, targeted former CM Gehlot by making serious allegations against him on Wednesday. Lokesh Sharma revealed that this audio was given to him by Ashok Gehlot. Moreover, Lokesh Sharma has continuously given statements against Gehlot after the Congress government was not in power in the state.
Lokesh Sharma described the matter
Sharma alleged that on July 16, 2020, MLAs were barricaded in a hotel on Delhi Road and I was in the hotel at that time. Then I got a call from Gehlot’s PSO that the Chief Minister had called. When I reached the Chief Minister’s residence, Gehlot gave me a paper and a pen drive. Gehlot said that this pen drive contained audio related to the horse-trading of MLAs, which is to be released in the media. I took the audio from the pen drive to my laptop and then from the laptop to my phone and released them into the media. At that time I followed the orders of the Chief Minister because I was his assistant.
Lokesh Sharma said that Gehlot suspected I had not destroyed the pen drive and laptop. That’s why they also conducted an SOG raid on my office on 26 November 2021. But they did not find anything. At that time I understood that Ashok Gehlot only uses people and discards them when the work gets done. He had told me many times to learn to use people.
The phones of Sachin Pilot and his supporters were under surveillance
Lokesh said that during the political crisis, the phones of Sachin Pilot and his supporters were put under surveillance by the state government. At that time many top officials of the police and home department were also involved in this matter. Gehlot did not like Sachin Pilot and wanted to tarnish his image in the public. Therefore, a conspiracy was hatched to topple the government and the blame was placed on the pilot. Sharma said that Gehlot also tarnished the image of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat by making him an accused in the Sanjeevani scam.
Lokesh Sharma said that Gehlot also saved DP Jarauli
Lokesh alleged that DP Jaroli, who was the Chairman of the Board of Secondary Education, was also saved by Ashok Gehlot in the paper leak case. Level 2 papers were cancelled after the REET paper leak. When Jaroli’s name came up in this, Gehlot wondered what action should be taken, how to dismiss him. Then Gehlot used to say that Jaroli is his man.
Lokesh said that he has been facing harassment from Delhi Police for the last 3 years in the phone tapping case. Delhi Police often interrogates me for a long time. When an FIR was filed against me, Gehlot had said that we would fight this battle till the Supreme Court. But later he completely distanced himself from this matter and left me alone.
Gehlot-Lokesh conversation in alleged audio
In the alleged audio clip, Lokesh claimed and narrated to the media, that the voice is of Ashok Gehlot. In the audio recording, Gehlot is inquiring with Lokesh about the whereabouts of the pen drive that contained the audio file. Moreover, he inquired about the phone that was used to send the audio to the media. He wants to know if they were destroyed or not. Sharma responds to the question by confirming that they were indeed destroyed.
Then Gehlot asked about the laptop whether the laptop belonged to CMR or is it your one. Lokesh said that it was his laptop. Then Gehlot said that he should not keep the laptop with himself. Ashok asked to give it to someone else and he would give him a new laptop in exchange. During the conversation, Gehlot again asks whether it has been destroyed 200 per cent for sure. In reply, Lokesh said yes, it has been destroyed 200 per cent.
