IANS/New Delhi
The government yesterday denied bugging federal minister Nitin Gadkari’s residence, and the home ministry ruled out a probe.
Gadkari meanwhile issued a fresh denial over the issue, while Congress leaders demanded an investigation.
“As already stated, I reiterate that no devices were found at my residence anywhere,” Gadkari tweeted. Asked about the bugging, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said it was not a matter to be pursued.
“There is no contradiction, Gadkari has denied it himself,” Singh said. “How can we intervene in this?” Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju refused to comment.
“The minister himself has said the reports are speculative... How can we comment on it?” Rijiju said when asked if the home ministry would probe the bugging reports.
“There is nothing concrete in it,” he said.
Media reports on Sunday said bugging devices were found at Gadkari’s Delhi residence.
This was, however, denied by Gadkari and those close to him.
Congress leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, said there should be a probe. Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil questioned why Gadkari called the report “speculative” and not untrue.
“Gadkari said the reports are ‘highly speculative’. Why didn’t he dismiss the reports as untrue? He should have either said it happened or he should have said it did not happen,” Gohil said here.
“The constitution guarantees that one can live his life with privacy, and snooping people is not permitted under the law. Reports that Gadkari was being spied upon needs to be investigated,” the Congress leader said.
Manmohan Singh on Sunday called for a probe.
“If ministers’ houses are bugged, then it is not a good omen. It should be investigated.”
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, asked why Manmohan Singh was quiet when bugging was reported in then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office.
In 2011, at least 16 adhesive strips were found planted in the finance ministry, according to reports, and Mukherjee at the time had expressed fears of snooping.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy questioned if the former Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was responsible for the bugging.
He said the bugging took place around October last year “when the UPA was in power, the NSA (America’s National Security Agency) has specifically targeted the BJP and Gadkari was a very important person. He had the confidence of the RSS.”
Congress slams BJP over CAG report
Using an official audit report on Gujarat, the Congress lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party yesterday and said the adverse remarks on favours to industrialists suggested how its recent mega election campaign was funded. The Congress reaction came after reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) were tabled in the state assembly last Friday, alleging that there was severe mismanagement of state’s finances. The findings pertained to the time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state’s chief minister.
