With the Opposition on Thursday questioning the findings of a parliamentary panel, which said unauthorised access of call records of then leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley two years back did not amount to breach of privilege of an MP, the Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday agreed to revisit the report. The committee will also consider the demand for enlarging its scope to include alleged phone-tapping of MPs.
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, who heads the Committee, said he would go by the sense of the House which has sought a review of the committee report. He made this observation after several Opposition MPs said the findings of the committee were “surprising” and urged the Government to take back the report. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi suggested that going by the sentiments expressed by the MPs on the issue, it will be better if the Committee reviews its report.
The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha had submitted its report on Wednesday opining that the act of accessing call data records in an unauthorised manner, though sinister and punishable in the eyes of the law, “does not seem to cause any hindrance of obstruction in the functioning of a Member of Parliament so as to attract breach of his Parliamentary privileges.”
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Naresh Agarwal (Samajwadi Party) said the entire House had in 2013 expressed concern over Jaitley’s call data records being accessed unauthorisedly. However, going by the panel’s opinion, anybody can now access details of any MP, he said adding the Government will also be free to tap phones of MPs.
Anand Sharma (Congress) alleged that there was rampant phone tapping and surveillance on political leaders, prominent persons, senior judiciary and senior civil servants. Wanting to know as to who has authorised phone tapping and which agency is carrying it out, Sharma said even two Ministers in the present NDA regime had complained about surveillance.
Demanding a clarification from the Prime Minister on the issue of tapping, Sharma said there was an atmosphere of distrust, fear and suspicion. But the political parties will not allow India to turn into a police State and if the Government does not come out with the clarification and the MPs will demand setting up of an independent probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge, the Congress leader said.
Sitaram Yechury (CPM) said the panel’s scope should be enlarged to include the overall issue of phone tapping and the House should accept it. Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP) also backed Yechury’s demand.
KC Tyagi (JD(U)), who was part of the Privileges Committee probing the issue, said the panel did not believe that the previous UPA Government had any hand in accessing the call data records of Jaitley, now the Finance Minister.
He said the Committee had called Home Secretary and Delhi Police Commissioner as witnesses, who stated that Jaitley’s call records were accessed by a private detective and the Government had no role in it.