Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari
India's ruling BJP today repeatedly denied a report that bugging devices were found in Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's home, as it tried to stem a growing controversy that saw a Congress leader taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi but stopping short of accusing him.
"Gadkari's house has been snooped upon and the government must reply in Parliament. I come from Gujarat and its commonplace to snoop there. It looks like the sutradhar (common link) has come to Delhi," Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said, referring to alleged snooping scandals in the state ruled by Mr Modi from 2001 to May this year.
Asked if the Congress was making a direct allegation at the PM, Mr Gohil said, "Let the Prime Minister explain this. Earlier when Manmohan Singh was PM, he would often question his silence. Why is he silent now? It is our turn to ask."
A report in The Sunday Guardian - founded by senior journalist MJ Akbar who joined the BJP earlier this year - said "high power listening devices" were "accidentally" found in Mr Gadkari's bedroom at his 13 Teen Murti Lane residence in Delhi recently.(
Read the full report)Mr Gadkari has denied it and said today in a tweet, "As already stated, I reiterate that no devices were found at my residence anywhere."
The 58-year-old is a powerful minister in Mr Modi's government - and has the backing of the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS - but the two had differences when Mr Gadkari was BJP president in 2009-2011.
Citing his denial, Home Minister Rajnath Singh rejected any investigation, saying, "There is no contradiction. Mr Gadkari himself has denied it."
But Congress leaders countered every BJP statement with demands for a probe.
"It is a very serious matter. Who was behind this? The truth must be kept before the parliament," said the party's Rajiv Shukla, echoing a similar demand by former PM Manmohan Singh at Sonia Gandhi's Iftar party on Sunday.
The Sunday Guardian report said the bugs appeared to be of the kind used by US agencies, and referred to the recent row between India and the US after documents leaked by former security contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency was authorized to spy on the BJP in 2010.