BJP conducted ‘political espionage and snooping’ on Rahul Gandhi: Congress

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi

The Congress today charged the BJP government with ‘political espionage and snooping’ on its leaders as it claimed a Delhi Police official had a few days ago visited Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s residence seeking personal information about him.

A few days ago, ASI Shamsher Singh of the Delhi Police HQ went to Gandhi’s residence, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. “He was making unnecessary queries when he was spotted by SPG staff and was taken to the office. It was found that he was trying to fill up a proforma about name, colour of hair, colour of shoes etc etc,” Singhvi added.

The police officer sought details of addresses of friends of Rahul Gandhi and his aid and was inquiring about what Gandhi does, where he goes etc, Singhvi said.

The party demanded a “comprehensive explanation from no less than the Home Minister and the Prime Minister” rejecting the police claim that the episode as merely a security issue.

Rahul is on a sabbatical since the start of the budget session of Parliament late last month.

“This kind of political espionage, snooping and surveillance, this kind of intrusion in politcial opponents’ life–this may be Gujarat model. It is not India’s model. The track record shows it is a model perfected in Gujarat especially for political opponents, judges, journalists and private persons,” Singhvi said.

Senior Congress leader PC Chacko termed it as a “breach of privacy and highly unacceptable.”

“It is intruding into the privacy of the citizen by Delhi Police without any valid purpose and is highly unacceptable,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)

Source:: Indian Express