Parliament was rocked on Wednesday over >the alleged bugging of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s residence leading to repeated adjournments in both the houses. The government denied media reports in the matter and rejected a demand raised by Opposition Congress for a probe.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice during the Question Hour and again during the Zero Hour as Congress members raised slogans and sought a statement from the government. Some voices were heard demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee even as Congress leaders sought to know who authorised the snooping.
Denials issued by Home Minister Rajnath Singh in both the Houses did not satisfy Opposition members who persisted with their demand for a discussion. “Government is hiding facts,’’ charged Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Congress).
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"This is a serious matter. Phones of ministers are being tapped. We want to know who authorised it,’’ Congress leader Anand Sharma said adding that the House proceedings were derailed for a week during the UPA rule when phone records of the then Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley were scrutinised.
Responding to the charge, Mr. Jaitley said, “There is a difference between fiction and reality.’’
Denying media reports in the matter, Mr. Rajnath Singh said there was no truth in the allegations that a power listening device was installed in Mr. Gadkari’s bedroom. Mr. Gadkari himself has said that the reports are baseless. Neither he nor anyone has made any complaint in this regard.
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In Lok Sabha Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge referred to an affidavit filed by the then DIG of Police in Gujarat alleging that phones of as many as 29,000 people were tapped [in the state] and sought a statement from the Prime Minister. He also sought a probe into the matter.
“The Minister himself [Mr. Gadkari] has himself denied the report. The allegation is baseless and there no question of getting an investigation done. This news should not be taken seriously,” Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Gadkari was present in the House when the issue was raised. Outside Parliament, he told media persons that the reports are “false and baseless”. He said reports first claimed that bugging devices were found at his Delhi residence, but later said they were found at his Mumbai residence.
Talking to media persons outside Parliament Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the Congress for raking up a "non-issue".
“We all know that the Congress has been decisively defeated in this election. We all can understand their desperation. We also know that they are bereft of any issue, but that does not mean that non-issues are made into an issue," he added.