Congress demands probe into phone-tapping

The Congress party on Saturday expressed shock over a media report that a corporate group had allegedly tapped phones of ministers and industrialists during the NDA-I government and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order a “thorough probe” into the matter.

“Is it a fact that a complaint was submitted to your office Has the PM ordered an inquiry When was it ordered If an inquiry was not ordered, why hasn’t one been ordered There are serious allegations being made,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

“What it points to is the institutional manner in which NDA-I was functioning: If media reports are true, the entire NDA-I Govt was completely and absolutely compromised,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister should tell the country what is the truth. Wondering as to why the BJP was “so silent” in the matter, he asked whether the ruling party has “completely forfeited” ownership of the NDA-I government.

Noting that some of those mentioned in the tapes are still around, Mr Tewari asked whether the present government too has been “subverted”.

He said these media reports alleged that the budget was fixed, that telecom policy was fixed, ministerial appointments were fixed, disinvestment processes were fixed, Courts were sought to be fixed, Parliamentary Committee Proceedings were fixed and allegedly even criminal investigations involving influential ministers in the then government were also fixed.

“If the NDA-I Govern-ment was subverted, was compromised, it is quite possible, is it the case that the current Government is also subverted in the same manner and, therefore, we would like to ask the Prime Minister of India certain questions: Is it a fact that a complaint was submitted to your office Has he ordered an enquiry to that complaint ” Mr Tewari asked.