Thursday, February 23 2006 16:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The controversy over the tapping of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's telephone took a new turn today (Feb 23 2006) with a leading television channel stating that it had audio CDs of his alleged conversations with a host of persons including one with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in which the 'removal' of a High Court judge figures.

NDTV, which said that they are seeking legal opinion on whether to broadcast the tapes, however, telecast an interview with Singh discussing topics that the CDs purportedly touched.

NDTV sought his comments on his purported conversation with ADAG Group CMD Anil Ambani regarding a business project and with several film actresses, who were not named.

Singh said the tape could be "doctored, morphed and fabricated." He, however, admitted to have spoken to Ambani but denied it related to financial favours for himself as alleged.

The SP leader, who asked the channel to submit the CDs to the Supreme Court that is hearing his petition against publication of the tapped conversations, denied Yadav ever spoke to him about removing a judge in case he gave an unfavourable ruling against Singh as claimed by the channel's correspondent who had heard them.

"Let any judge confirm we approached him then I am ready to quit politics. Also, Mulayam (Yadav) has no power to remove any judge. He is not the Chief Justice. He is not the Law Minister," Singh said.

He accused a Union Minister, a former Congress spokeswoman, and a Mumbai-based industrialist close to the party of having engineered his phone tapping and leaking its contents.

"If somebody has done the sting, let them take responsibilty. Why don't they come forward? I will not object to it being aired then," Singh said.

He was not able to recall what he exactly spoke with some bureaucrat regarding a special economic zone in Noida, he said when asked whether he suggested to an official that he approach a judge as alleged in the CD.

He described his conversations with film actresses as a private affair. Some other channels also claimed to have received the same CDs, but none aired it.