Govt.Of India Rejects Allegation Of Snooping On Rahul Gandhi
16 March, New Delhi
The Government of India Monday rejected the allegations of opposition about snooping on Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi by the Delhi Police.
In the Lok Sabha, Parliament Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that it was a routine security exercise undertaken by Delhi Police. He said, profiling of 526 VVIP personnel have been done including present Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers, Congress President and senior BJP leaders.
Naidu said, the profiling of VVIPs was started in 1957. The pro-forma was revised in 1999 by Delhi Police.
He clarified that the intention of the Delhi Police is only to keep profile of VVIPs for security purposes. He said that the Opposition is making the security profiling an issue out of a non issue.
Naidu charged the Congress for politicising the issue for self goal. Intervening on the issue, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley , rubbished the opposition charges and said that it was not snooping but was a routine security exercise.
Earlier, in the House Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the matter and demanded an explanation from the Home Minister that why the profiling of Rahul Gandhi was done when he is a SPG protectee.
Making a similar statement in the Rajya Sabha, leader of the House, Arun Jaitley said that the profiling of important persons is being done since 1957 in the country.
Jaitley said, this security auditing has nothing to do with snooping. Mr Jaitley informed that reviewing of this profiling is done at regular intervals and the opposition is making a mountain out of a molehill.
Earlier raising the issue, Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress demanded a statement of home minister on the issue. He alleged that the government is trying to intimidate political parties through such things.
K C Tyagi of JD(U) and Naresh Agarwal of SP also demanded a discussion on the issue. Dissatisfied with government’s response, Congress members staged a symbolic walk out from the House.
Meanwhile Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi today said, security profiling of important persons in the national capital is a routine exercise and it has been done to ensure their safety and security.
Talking to reporters outside Parliament on the issue of alleged snooping of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Bassi said that such profiling were done on several occasions in the past.
Replying to a question about the statements of some of his predecessors expressing unawareness about such security profiling, Bassi said, Delhi Police is a big organisation and certain things are routine which may or may not come to the notice of top officers. He said even in this case he only came to know about the issue when controversy erupted.