The government on Thursday said no bugging of the finance minister’s office had taken place and the matter should be closed, advising the media not to spend more time and energy on this “futile” exercise.
Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said that she herself spoke to Pranab Mukherjee on the issue, adding: ?There is nothing to take forward.”
Mukherjee had maintained that the Intelligence Bureau had not found any evidence of bugging and the substance found in 16 key places in the finance minister’s office was “chewing gum”. She added that the finance minister had said that the whole thing was bogus and “we should close the matter”.
There were reports that the alleged bugging could have been done by one of the rival ministries of the finance ministry. This had led the Opposition to charge that there was a trust deficit in the government. Asked about the trust deficit, Soni said, “The question does not arise.”
However, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said that the matter needed to be inquired into, adding that he was surprised that the finance minister’s office could be tapped or bugged.
Meanwhile, the Oppositon BJP has turned the heat on the government, saying that “tapping and bugging” are becoming the order of the day, reacting to reports about the alleged phone-tapping of CBEC chairman coming close on the heels of the ?bugging? of the finance minister’s office. “It is obvious that this government is operating under the shadow of suspicion,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.