With the opposition set to rake up the telephone tapping issue in Parliament, Government on Saturday said the issue was being 'examined.'
"We are getting it examined. We have taken note of it and it is being looked into," PMO sources said.
A prominent English news weekly has claimed that the phones of some prominent political leaders including Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat have been tapped.
Political parties criticised the government for allegedly resorting to snooping on leaders. Bharatiya Janata Party deputy leader in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia said his party would raise the issue in Parliament on Monday.
He contended this was in violation of Art 21 of the Constitution which assures protection of life and liberty to every citizen.
"The UPA government is resorting to tapping of phones of political leaders which is illegal and intolerable. The government has to own up responsibility and take action against those responsible," Karat said.
"In the garb of tracking terror, the Government is tracking politicians and even their own cabinet ministers from alliance partners. Apparently the government has failed on all fronts, making them seemingly insecure and prompting such despotic actions," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
He demanded a 'clear statement' on the issue from the PM and 'none else' in Parliament. "BJP would like to question that in perception of the Government, if the cabinet ministers are not safe, if the chief ministers are not safe, then who is safe in this country," Rudy said.
He termed the alleged phone tapping as an 'outright violation of laws and bizarre infringement of our fundamental rights.'
