Manmohan to speak in Lok Sabha over phone tapping

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will speak in the Lok Sabha over allegations of politicians' phones being tapped by government agencies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the House today amid furious protests by Opposition MPs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will speak in the Lok Sabha over allegations of politicians' phones being tapped by government agencies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the House on Monday amid furious protests by Opposition MPs.

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"PM is ready to speak in the house at 3.30 pm," said Mukherjee, who is the leader of the House, said.

Earlier on Monday, the Opposition attacked the government in the Parliament over the Phone tapping issue and the House had to be adjourned amid the uproar.

The Opposition tried to corner the government over allegations of telephone tapping of key political leaders and demanded suspension of Question Hour to discuss the issue. The Opposition also said that they want the PM to explain the Phone tapping row.

Meanwhile, the Opposition demand for suspension of the question hour was not accepted by Speaker Meira Kumar.

The allegations of phone-tapping, made in a report by news magazine Outlook, come at a time when the Congress is already battling the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket storm that has led to the exit of one minister and cast a shadow on two others, including Pawar. These allegations also precede crucial vote in Parliament on the national budget for 2010-11.

The Opposition has been threatening to introduce cut motions in the Lok Sabha in a bid to defeat the finance bill, a development that could seriously embarrass the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.