Friday, January 6 2006 13:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Demanding a thorough probe into the phone tapping issue, Janata Party today (Jan 06, 2006) demanded for new and strong safeguards to prevent such happenings in future and also stipulating strict punishment to wrong doers.

"Mulayam Singh (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) has done a great national service by exposing not only the tapping but also the perils of privatisation of telecom", Janata Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy said while expressing his party's support to Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh.

Talking to reporters, he also criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha for claiming that even her phones were being tapped.

"How can it (phone) be tapped without your knowing about it. I would expect Jayalalithaa not to make such comments like this without producing documents supporting her statement. A Chief Minister has got enough machinery to document such things. I am surprised over Jayalalithaa's statement", he said.

Asked what was the reason for the Union government for tapping the phone of Amar Singh, he said, "obviously nothing in the conversation by him is of a criminal nature. Hence, they have not published the tapped portions", he said.

Expressing his support to Swami Ramdev and describing the issue as an 'international conspiracy', Swamy criticised the union Health Ministry for releasing the results of the drug samples provided by CPI-M leader Brinda Karat, without getting the samples from Ramdev's pharmacy and releasing the results obtained from these samples.

He also congratulated Mulayam for "showing courage and conviction on the tapping and Ramdev issues".