‘We’re entitled to intercept such conversations’

While responding to a short-duration discussion on the “Alleged tapping of telephones of certain politicians affecting probity in public life and government’s reaction in this regard,” Chidambaram said: “An impression was created as though telephones are being tapped only in the UPA government. I think anyone who has been in the government knows that it is not correct.” It had been so “between 1999 and 2004” (during the NDA regime)”. In an allusion to the Radia tapes,Chidambaram said: “There are reports of alleged conversations. I don’t know whether that is right or wrong and,therefore,I said in my statement,‘Further enquires are being made into the allegations in magazine’.” If any evidence was discovered,he said,the matter would be investigated. Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley,who had initiated the discussion,took a strong stand against phone-tapping,saying it was a “limited” and not “absolute” power. And that under the law,should be allowed only “on the occurrence of any public emergency,or in the interest of public safety”. Said the senior BJP leader: “In our Constitutional scheme,he (Chidambaram) will appreciate that privacy is now recognised as an integral part of individual liberty.” Referring to the government’s explanation on the politicians whose phones had been tapped — that the conversations had just got “picked up” because of an advanced technology — Jaitley said: “…what appears to be happening now is that in a completely unauthorised manner,there is a system,where an individual’s liberty can be eroded,phones can be indefinitely bugged,and the government can put on an innocent face and say,‘Look,I did not authorise it,or the technology is such that it starts bugging in spite of my orders’.”

Quoting from the Indian Telegraphs Act of 1885,the BJP leader said: “There is no such power to say that so and so is an offender and,therefore,I am entitled to bug his phone… You cannot even say that somebody is a likely economic offender. You cannot say that somebody is a bad character and,so,you would bug his phone… You cannot infringe upon the liberty of a citizen by saying that my vehicle carrying an equipment was driving fast and I,by mistake,bugged somebody else’s phone. Then,the technology you have purchased dismantles the Indian Constitution.” CPM leader Sitaram Yechury asked why the government was not acting on information gathered from what it called “duly authorised tapping”. “Information from authorised and legal tapping is not used to pursue and clean the system but information from illegal and unauthorised tapping is used to score political points!” AIADMK leader V Maitreyan gave another spin to the controversy by alleging his own phone was being tapped. “Not only that… according to a report,even the number of the Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran was under surveillance,” he alleged. Telugu Desam member Mysura Reddy mentioned Radia and said he had written to the Prime Minister on the issue. He added: “We are not afraid of tapping. You should start it with Cabinet Ministers,Treasury Benches and the ruling party.”