Who got 'spy cameras' installed inside Rajasthan legislative assembly?

The Congress is refusing to buy the explanation that extra cameras were installed inside the Rajasthan assembly for the safety and security of the MLAs.

The row was triggered on Wednesday, 10 September when PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra and leader of the opposition Teekaram Jully questioned the installation of extra cameras behind the opposition benches. The Congress MLAs came to the House wearing caps with the logo 'Jagga Jasoos' and alleged spying on them through these cameras.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot also hit out at Speaker Vasudev Devnani and wondered how the control system of the extra cameras was placed in the Speaker's chamber. "Only he (Assembly Speaker) or his private secretary can see it,” said Gehlot.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully raised the matter on the assembly floor, questioning who had access to the additional cameras and why they remained active even after the House was adjourned.

Their suspicion was aroused, Congress leaders claimed, when the assembly staff claimed to have no information about the additional cameras. They also refused to allow the opposition leaders to see first hand the footage recorded by the cameras.

The staff first said that they needed the Speaker’s permission to do so. Thereafter they conceded that the controls of the extra cameras were not with them but in the Speaker’s chamber. Alleging this was an abnormal and unusual practice, both Dotasra and Jully alleged on Saturday, 13 September, that the cameras were being used by the Speaker and his PS to spy on opposition members.

They had no issue with the live telecast of the proceedings, feeds of which are also provided to YouTube channels, they claimed at the media briefing. What they are objecting to is the secretive use of the cameras even when the assembly is not session and in recess.

The extra cameras, they alleged, are equipped with extra-powerful lens and sensors to pick up the audio of even private conversations of the members in the House. Dotasra said that the speaker appeared to be spying on women MLAs of the opposition and wants to hear what they say and how they are dressed.

They seemed so sure of the allegations that they have demanded an independent inquiry and has submitted a memorandum to the Governor against the Speaker, Vasudev Devnani. Alleging that the Speaker had access to the conversations the women may be having in the House, Dotasra described the conduct of the Speaker as ‘shameful’.

BJP leaders have hotly disputed the allegation that the extra cameras are spy cameras. These are ‘360-degree cameras’ meant for better security. "We took the cue from the incident in the Lok Sabha when some intruders took advantage of their access to the visitors’ gallery to get access to the House. This was a serious security lapse and posed a threat to the lives of Lok Sabha MPs,” they have claimed. As additional security measure, therefore, these new cameras were installed in the assembly, they explained.

Undeterred Dotasra and Teekaram Jully demanded that they be shown the footage shot by the cameras to satisfy themselves. They alleged that after the assembly has been adjourned after a week-long session, the staff are trying to destroy the evidence and remove the wires and the monitors from the Speaker’s chamber.

Jully further claimed that while all other cameras set up in the main hall of the Vidhan Sabha catch images of the Vidhan Sabha proceedings and the footage is available on YouTube, footage from the the two special cameras are not.

Congress MLAs also alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of the cameras. While the other cameras are available in the market for Rs 3-4 lakhs each, the assembly has floated a tender for buying five such cameras for Rs 30 lakh. Jully wants a joint house committee to investigate and wants the assembly to be sealed till then.

As the row continues, what is clear is that the Speaker had not taken the opposition leaders into confidence before taking the decision to install extra cameras.