No reply by PM on phone tapping; LS adjourned

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday as the Opposition continued its protests over reports that politicians' phones were tapped by government agencies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was supposed to speak in the Lok Sabha over the allegations at 3.30 p.m.

When the House reassembled after the lunch at 2 p.m., Opposition MPs from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party (SP) shouted slogans against the government and gathered near the speaker's podium. They were supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left party MPs.

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh also raised the issue of the Indian Premier League (IPL) controversy. As the Opposition continued its protest, Deputy Speaker Karia Munda adjourned the House for the day.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had earlier told the House amid furious protests by Opposition MPs: "PM is ready to speak in the House at 3.30 pm."

Oppn not satisfied with Chidambaram's reply:

The BJP and the CPI-M said they were not satisfied with Home Minister P. Chidambaram's denial that the government did not tap telephones of four senior political leaders.

BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should respond to the demand for setting up of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into the allegations.

"The government's statement is an afterthought. Why they did not respond the first day (when allegations surfaced)? The Prime Minister should respond to the demand for JPC," Naidu told reporters here.

The issue rocked parliament Monday following a report in a news magazine that the government had tapped telephones of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, CPI-M leader Prakash Karat and Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said a statement should come from the Prime Minister. "We are not satisfied with statement of Home minister." The Congress, however, said Chidambaram's statement in both the Houses had made it clear that no phone tap were authorised by the government.

"The fundamental question is whether the Opposition is looking for a reply from the government or wants to score political brownie points," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.