Oppn raises questions over bugging episode

They sought to suggest that the episode could also be reflective of the "trust deficit" within the government.

But the Congress hit back saying the BJP always indulged in levelling "baseless allegations" to divert attention from its internal rebellion. It said it was not not aware of any problems within the government on the issue.

The man at the centre of all this, Mukherjee himself, however, has sought to downplay calling the episode "bogus" but did not not elaborate.

Officially, the government continued to main silence on the issue.

A day after a row broke out after a national newspaper reported on the alleged bugging, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj termed as a "big joke" the Intelligence Bureau`s "chewing gum theory" and demanded a probe into it.