Swamy demands inquiry into alleged bugging of FM's office

Chennai, Jun 22: Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy today (Jun 22) demanded an inquiry into reports of alleged bugging of the offices of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his aides in North Block in New Delhi.

Calling the episode as "genuine", he told a press conference here that "dismissing it as chewing gum is rubbish as intelligence agencies and spies use chewing gum to mount microphone or small cameras on them." "The Prime Minister should constitute an inquiry committee into this," he said.

Swamy criticised Home Minister P Chidambaram for his alleged role in the pricing of 2G spectrum.

On the Jan Lokpal bill, over which the government and social activist Anna Hazare-led civil society are at loggerheads, he said the Prime Minister can be prosecuted under present provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act after obtaining sanction.

"Therefore, Hazare should not waste time on arguing over the PM''s office being brought under the Lokpal ambit." "It is a red herring, a waste of time. Rather they should focus on an independent public prosecutor who could order agencies to probe (corruption issues)," he said.

PTI