As a controversy erupted over reported attempts of bugging his office, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday asked the media not to waste time on “bogus things”.
“All these are bogus things. Don’t waste your time on this,” he shot back at reporters who sought replies on his statement yesterday that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) found nothing in alleged bugging of his offices.
Reported bugging of the offices of the minister and his aides in North Block has raised the hackles of those in government and Opposition parties have demanded an investigation, calling it a serious issue.
“In respect of news item regarding bugging in my office, the IB investigated into it and found there is nothing in it,” Mr. Mukherjee had said yesterday.
Describing the reported bugging as “India’s Watergate”, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had sought to know if the government was spying on its own minister or a corporate house was doing so.
