Avoid taking political advantage on bugging issue: Amar Singh

LONDON: Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh has said that the BJP should not use the issue of reported bugging of the 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 last 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 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 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."