BJP, Cong lock horns over 'espionage' slur

The Congress and the BJP on Saturday locked horns over what the Opposition party called “political espionage” on its vice president Rahul Gandhi and announced it will raise the issue in the Parliament on Monday.  Demanding an explanation from no less than the Home Minister and the Prime Minister, the Congress targeted Modi saying such snooping was perfected in his State earlier and termed it a Gujarat model. 

As Congress created a major furore on the issue, the BJP dismissed it as a Congress attempt to gain “political relevance” and maintained that  Prime Minister, Home Minister and BJP chief were also visited by similar police exercises in the past.  Hitting back, the BJP said the Congress has the habit of seeing conspiracies even in “routine” matters and considered itself above the law. It said Rahul’s continued absence had “disturbed” the Congress so much that this has led to the party leaders’ “loss of mental balance” and they do not know what they were saying. 

Meanwhile, the Delhi police chief BS Bassi rejected snooping charges, saying it was a routine exercise of being in touch with dignitaries, including those from the BJP. His comments followed after a Delhi Police team, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal, visited Gandhi’s Tughlak lane residence to enquire about the incident and the sequence of events. It will later present its report to the police Commissioner.

Congress held out a demonstration here and accused the Government of carrying out “political espionage” on Gandhi scion and demanded a  “comprehensive explanation from no less than the Home Minister and the Prime Minister” while rejecting the police claim that the episode as merely a security issue. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Delhi Police which visited the party vice-president’s residence, had made “unwarranted and weird” enquiries about him.

Asserting that no law permits such a procedure, he said the issue of “snooping and surveillance” on Rahul would be raised in Parliament. “We are charging the Government, condemning it and strongly deprecating this kind of conduct. It is not only specific to Congress and Rahul but in general against all political opponents,” Singhvi said.

But the police chief said it was a routine activity which is done to keep records of vulnerable personalities. “Police also visited houses of Veerappa Moily, lK Advani, K Chandrasekhar Rao, among others. There was no malafide intention behind seeking details about (Rahul) Gandhi,” he said.

 Bassi said police was never asked either by the PMO or Home Ministry to visit Rahul’s residence and asserted that there was no political pressure on police.

 “Two cops went to Rahul’s residence. Our beat officer Rameshwar Dayal went to his house on March 12 and sought details about him. As beat officers are not able to directly meet such persons, they contact their office staff and leave performa pertaining to required details,” he said. Bassi added that police keeps details of all vulnerable leaders.