From correspondents in Delhi, India, 09:32 PM IST

Sushma Swaraj, leading the opposition presidential election campaign for vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, says her telephone is being tapped.

'My phones, those of Mr S S Ahluwalia and of Digvijay Singh (of the Janata Dal-United) are being tapped because we are the chief campaigners of Shekhawat,' she told reporters Wednesday.

'These people have become nervous and are sure to lose the elections. That is why, in panic, they are resorting to all these practices.

'I have brought this to the notice of the Election Commission. I have also written to the communications minister,' said Swaraj.

She said that whenever anyone called up her phone number, 9868181920, 'the reply comes 'this number does not exist'. I am not being able to call up from my phone. When I called up my residential landline it was being connected to the Police Control Room.'

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ahluwalia, backed her up, saying, 'I have been handling mobile phones since their inception and can make out when they are being tapped or when there is some normal fault in the line and I can tell you this is clearly a case of tapping.'

(Staff Writer, © IANS)