Latching on to controversy over reported recovery of listening devices from Nitin Gadkari's residence, Congress today said that it reflects "lack of faith and mutual trust" among ministers of the NDA Government.
The Road Transport and Highways Minister has however dismissed reports about 'listening devices' being recovered from his residence and said that these are "highly speculative".
Hitting out at the Narendra Modi Government, Congress asked it to come clean on the issue.
"If reports of bugging of senior Cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari, who is also a former BJP president, are correct, they are indeed extremely serious.
"It reflects a certain lack of faith amongst ministerial colleagues and an absence of mutual trust. It's time that both Gadkari and also BJP and government come clean on the issue and place before the people of the country if at all there was bugging and if there was snooping being done...
"...At whose instance and at whose authority it has been done. And what is the reason if any for conducting such snooping. All these issues need to be clarified both by BJP as well as the Prime Minister and the Home Minister in the larger interest of people," Randeep Surjewala said.
Reacting to the matter, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari questioned as to how the information appeared in the public space and said that if an inquiry has been ordered, full facts of it should be laid on the floor of Parliament.
"If indeed this story is true, though as you point out that the minister in question has denied it, it obviously lends itself to the question as to how it then appear in the public space.
"Therefore, if such a thing has appeared in the public space as you point out that perhaps an inquiry has been ordered, then the full facts of that inquiry should be laid on the floor of Parliament so that the nation knows as to whether there is any truth to it or not," Tewari said.
