Author: Special Correspondent
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: January 4, 2006
The Congress on Wednesday asked Uttar Pradesh
chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar
Singh why they were not filing an FIR against the private telephone agency,
Reliance Infocomm, with regard to the telephone tapping while putting three
questions to them on this controversy.
The party also ridiculed Mr Yadav's suggestion
that the issue be probed by West Bengal chief minister Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee,
Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and Bihar chief minister Nitish
Kumar instead of the CBI.
Asking what are they (Mulayam Singh Yadav
and Amar Singh) afraid of, AICC general secretary Ambika Soni claimed: "This
tapping has not been done by any government agency, BSNL or MTNL, but Reliance
Infocomm. Has any FIR been filed? Has any action been sought against the company?"
She wondered how Reliance went about the task
of tapping the phone when the authorisation letter was "not even written
in a proper manner" and when those concerned are known to be people in
"close contact" with Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and his colleague. Mr
Anil Ambani (of Reliance) has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from UP due
to the support extended by the SP.
While alleging that Mr Yadav is setting a
new tradition by suggesting an inquiry committee of three chief ministers,
Ms Soni asked why the Uttar Pradesh chief minister did not request them to
probe the killing of Krishnanand Rai, communal riots in Mau and outburst of
encephalitis in Gorakhpur in which hundreds of people died.
She described Mr Amar Singh as the "fund
manager" of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and felt their hue and cry
on this issue is "theatrical".
"Itni ghabrahat kyun? Thoda sabar rakho.
Delhi police sab tathyon ko saamne layegi. Doodh ka doodh aur paani ka paani
ho jayega (Why the hype? Be patient. Delhi police will clarify everything),"
Ms Soni told reporters at the party headquarters here.
The questions Congress put to them in the
press briefing were: Why can't the Samajwadi Party leaders file an FIR against
Reliance Infocomm? Why were they setting a new tradition of involving chief
ministers to inquire into the tapping, ignoring the premier investigating
agency, the CBI? Why were they using "indecent language" against
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi calling her "Sonia when we say Mulayam Singhji".
Noting that Mr Yadav and Mr Amar Singh have been "spitting venom"
on the Congress office-bearers in the matter, she said it showed that they
are "angry, agitated and frustrated". It indicated there was "something
very serious in the tapes which will cause them dear in public".
"The honourable chief minister and his
fund manager are very tense and very agitated over what they are apprehending
has been recorded... Is it like Operation Majnu?" she asked.
