Opposition stalls Parliament, demands JPC probe into phone-tapping case - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The phone-tapping of political leaders allegedly by the Government agencies brought the Parliament to a standstill once again here on Wednesday. A united Opposition reiterated its demand today to hold a probe into the phone-tapping issue by Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) despite Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's clarification that neither the previous United Progressive Alliance Government not the present UPA government authorized any such activity. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), however, demanded a proper discussion in Parliament. "We are asking the government, now the issue has been raised again today...The Rajya Sabha had adjourned twice and now, therefore, we are asking the government to respond to this particular thing. We think it merits a proper discussion because it is a very, very serious matter and we can't treat it very casually," Sitaram Yechury, senior CPI (M) leader told reporters in the capital. Janata Dal (United), which also shared Yechury's views, also sought clarification from the government on this issue. "The phone-tapping matter involves many issues. The issue is associated with individuals' right to the IPL (Indian Premier League). The last phone recorded by NTRO (National Technical Research Organisation) has nexus with IPL and now reports have come that the phone-tapping is also associated with the auction of 2G (mobile phone) spectrum...therefore the issue is associated with the interest of the country and that is why we have been raising this issue for the last three days," said Sharad Yadav of the JD (U). A report in the Outlook magazine last week said that senior politicians, including two from the Government, had their mobile conversations tapped into, sparking off allegations that intelligence agencies were being used to spy upon political rivals.