Our phones still being tapped: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi, July 12: Alleging that the phones of key NDA MPsincluding that of her own were still being tapped, Ms Sushma Swaraj,the spokesperson for presidential candidate Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat,today said the government denial in this regard was on the expectedlines.

Speaking to newspersons Ms Swaraj reiterated her complaint andsaid she failed to get connection to her residential telephones after12 attempts and the situation continues even now. ''Ultimately, I spoketo my home from my driver's telephone and was able to establish contactin the first attempt,'' she said.

She said leaders in the UPA government had denied the tapping intheir own ''styles that suited their personalities''. While Minister ofState for External Affairs Anand Sharma had denied the tapping in a''civilised manner'', the response of Parliamentary Affairs Minister PR Dasmunsi contained ''unparliamentary words'' like ''foolish andrubbish''.

The third reaction was from Minister of Women and ChildDevelopment Renuka Chowdhary who was not even willing to take notice ofthe complaint of phone tapping.

She said the NDA had not submitted its letter to ElectionCommission as Mr Arun Jaitley, BJP General Secretary, who has beenentrusted with the task of handling all complaints in the presidentialpoll, wanted to have a look at the complaint personally.

''He is currently touring Bihar and the complaint will be filed once he returns,'' she said.

The NDA, she said, had set up a three-member panel headed by MrJaitley and BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad as a member to deal withall complaints relating to presidential polls. Mr Jaitley wasauthorised to choose the third person in the committee. Ms Swaraj hadearlier announced that the NDA would be filing the complaint before theElection Commission seeking to view the phone tapping as a hurdle posedby the government.

Besides the phone tapping the NDA has been receiving complaints ofelectoral malpractices, the senior BJP leader alleged. ''This panelwill go through the issues in detail and decide the way it should bedealt with,'' she said.

UNI