Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
India

Congress Demands PMO Explain 'Snoopgate 2', BJP Says Non-issue

Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Mar, 2015 05:21 PM
     The Congress on Sunday demanded an explanation from the Prime Minister's Office on why the police were seeking details about its vice president Rahul Gandhi even as the BJP accused the opposition party of making an issue out of a "routine" security-related inquiry.
     
    The Congress was also set to raise the issue in parliament on Monday.
     
    Terming the incident "Snoopgate 2", Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the prime minister needed to explain why the government needed details of a person protected by the Special Protection Group (SPG).
     
    "PMOIndia needs to explain why it needs details of a person protected by the SPG. All his movements are recorded by SPG," he tweeted.
     
    "Police sought telephone numbers, addresses of Rahul Gandhi's associates and friends. Delhi Police need to clarify why this info was needed," he said.
     
    Tharoor said: "Original Snoopgate involved misuse of Gujarat government machinery for surveillance of a woman. Snoopgate2 involves misuse of police versus opponents?"
     
    Delhi Police personnel visited Rahul Gandhi's residence last week and also sought details about his height and colour of eyes and hair.
     
    Party spokesperson Anand Sharma said the party would raise the issue in parliament.
     
    Addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, he said the Narendra Modi government "has much to answer when it comes to right of privacy of citizens".
     
    "They are now trying to do it everywhere what was happening in one state. Both Modi and Amit Shah are now here. It is not confined to one person. It is much deeper. The practice that they had adopted in Gujarat, they want to carry it out now every where," he said.
     
    Sharma, who has alleged in a newspaper interview that phones of senior leaders are being "tapped" and that they are under "surveillance", backed his statement, saying "letters are not sent for phone tapping to political leaders, judges and others ... It can be proved only if the prime minister, home minister give letters to opposition leaders regarding their phone tapping".
     
    The Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress of trying to politicize the issues.
     
    In Hyderabad, union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said Prime Minister Modi or Home Minister Rajnath Singh were in no way involved in the police trying to find out details about Rahul Gandhi.
     
    "According to Delhi Police, there was a security-related check and inquiry at the house of the Congress leader. Neither the prime minister nor home minister or government are in any way involved in this routine check and security drill by the security apparatus of Delhi Police," Naidu told reporters.
     
    He also claimed that the same thing happened to him when he was in the opposition.
     
    "They came and gave a questionnaire and asked me to sign that also. When I became minister, there was some inquiry. They said it is a routine check and we have to do it because we are giving you Z-plus security. They asked who are frequent visitors; any suspicion about anybody who is roaming around your house; do you notice anybody who is not familiar," he said.
     
    The minister said same questions were put to senior parliamentarian L.K. Advani, BJP president Amit Shah and even Prime Minister Modi earlier.
     
    "We should not make issues out of non-issues and create controversies simply because some questioning has been done," Naidu said.
     
    During Congress regime, there used to be surveillance on telephones and lots of such complaints were received, he alleged.
     
    On Saturday, the Congress had condemned Delhi Police's "unnecessary and weird enquiries" about Rahul Gandhi and termed it "political espionage".
     
    "This kind of political espionage, snooping, surveillance and intrusion in political opponent's life may be Gujarat model but not Indian model," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, referring to Modi's oft-quoted Gujarat model of development.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    JD-U Crisis: Manjhi Wants House Dissolved, Nitish To Stake Claim Sunday

    JD-U Crisis: Manjhi Wants House Dissolved, Nitish To Stake Claim Sunday
    Bihar's ruling JD-U seemed to be on the verge of a split Saturday, as Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi sought dissolution of the assembly despite opposition from a majority of his cabinet even as his predecessor Nitish Kumar was re-elected legislature party chief

    JD-U Crisis: Manjhi Wants House Dissolved, Nitish To Stake Claim Sunday

    Thank you Delhiites, says Arvind Kejriwal

    Thank you Delhiites, says Arvind Kejriwal
    After exit polls predicted an AAP victory in Delhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Saturday thanked the people of the city for voting for his party in large numbers.

    Thank you Delhiites, says Arvind Kejriwal

    Delhi Votes Once Again; BJP, AAP Claim Victory As Delhi Votes

    Delhi Votes Once Again; BJP, AAP Claim Victory As Delhi Votes
    Hundreds of thousands voted enthusiastically across the Indian capital Saturday in assembly elections that both the BJP and the AAP claimed they will win.

    Delhi Votes Once Again; BJP, AAP Claim Victory As Delhi Votes

    Bihar Woman Sells 15-day-old To Arrange For Dowry

    Bihar Woman Sells 15-day-old To Arrange For Dowry
    In a shocking incident, an elderly woman allegedly sold her infant grandson for Rs.50,000 to arrange for dowry for her daughter's marriage in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, police said Saturday.

    Bihar Woman Sells 15-day-old To Arrange For Dowry

    High-Decibel Campaigning For Delhi Poll Ends

    High-Decibel Campaigning For Delhi Poll Ends
    The aggressive campaigning by political parties for the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls - a virtual battle between the BJP and the AAP - ended Thursday with many leaders holding road shows and public meetings in a final attempt to woo the voters.

    High-Decibel Campaigning For Delhi Poll Ends

    Sunanda Pushkar's Son Questioned In Murder Case

    Sunanda Pushkar's Son Questioned In Murder Case
     Shiv Menon, who reached the Vasant Vihar office of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at 1.15 p.m., was questioned for around eight hours till 9.30 p.m.

    Sunanda Pushkar's Son Questioned In Murder Case