Thursday, January 5 2006 18:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The phone-tapping issue today acquired a new dimension with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key ally of Congress at the Centre, coming out in support of Sonia Gandhi and embarrassing the Samajwadi Party by demanding that the contents of the recorded conversations of Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders, including Amar Singh, be made public.

RJD supremo and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, who is not on the best of terms with SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, told reporters that Gandhi was being wrongly blamed for the tappings. Besides, he said the nation should know what was in the tapes and so there should be 'public demonstration' of its contents within a week.

The RJD leader's comments came a day after AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni felt that there was "something very serious in the tapes which will cause them (SP leaders) dear in public".

"The honourable Chief Minister and his fund manager Amar Singh are very tense and very agitated over what they are apprehending has been recorded ... Is it like Operation Majnu," Soni had yesterday said.

Singh had alleged that his phone was tapped at Gandhi's direction, a charge denied by the Congress.