Avoid taking political advantage on bugging issue: Amar Singh

From H S Rao
London (PTI) - Rajya Sabha (upper house of
Indian parliament) MP Amar Singh has said that the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) should not use the issue of reported
bugging of Indian Finance Minister's office to gain political
mileage and instead leave it to Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime
Minister to settle.
"This should be left to the Finance Minister and the
Prime Minister to settle. To Take any political advantage will
be most unfortunate," Singh said here Sunday night.
"If the bugging of finance minister has happened, it
should be probed. It should not be used by BJP to embarrass
the Prime Minister," he said.
Singh said, "the bugging victim is finance minister
and he has taken it up with the Prime Minister. I don't think
media or political brokerage is required in the matter, if at
all it has happened. I have not been in India. If this has
happened it is disgusting. My phones were trapped, my privacy
was violated - it is a living hell."
Commenting on the anti-corruption campaign by Ramdev,
he said the Indian yoga guru should first explain the source
of his income.
Ramdev has made public details of his business empire
worth over Rs 1,100 crore, claiming everything was in order.
Asked on social activist Anna Hazare's stand on the
Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill, Singh said, "democratically elected
government can not function on the basis of threats."
On the tape controversy, Singh said, "in my case,
Prashant Bhushan said the tapes (presumably in conversation
with Bipasha Basu) were genuine. Ironically, when his tape has
come now levelling several allegations against others,
including the chief justice of India and the prime minister,
he says it has been tampered.
"Caesar's wife should be above suspicion. Bipasha Basu
was bold enough to say it was not her voice. Similarly
Prashant Bhushan should get his voice sample tested. His words
are crucial. If it is not tested, the credibility of the
movement, he is leading will be questioned."