No spying, it’s security audit: Centre

Mr. Jaitley accused the Opposition of "making a mountain of what is not even a mole-hill''.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. File photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Facing Opposition allegation of political espionage, the Union government said here on Monday that “security audit” of MPs was nothing new. It described the controversy over the Delhi Police seeking details about Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as yet another “self-goal” by that party.

The espionage issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament, with the Congress leading the charge. After Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley first clarified in the Rajya Sabha that the police had been keeping such a databank of MPs since 1957 and a security audit done openly could not be billed as snooping, the Congress changed tack in the Lok Sabha an hour later, flagging suspicious movement of a Delhi Police constable around Mr. Gandhi’s residence.

In near similar replies in both Houses, Mr. Jaitley said the Opposition was trying to make a “mountain out of what is not even a molehill,” and urged members not to “trivialise or politicise” a security matter. The Delhi Police had a database from such an audit of 526 MPs during the UPA rule. He listed the names of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and President Pranab Mukherjee, in his earlier ministerial role, among those who have filled up the form over the years.

As for questions like foot size and colour of the eye being asked in the pro forma, Mr. Jaitley reminded the members that a former Prime Minister’s body had been identified by his shoe. “If you are short of issues, don’t create one.”

Earlier, the Congress had accused the government of trying to turn the country into a police state, similar to Pakistan, by spying on politicians — both in the Opposition and dissenting voices within the ruling party — as an intimidation tactic to quell disagreement. In the Rajya Sabha, Naresh Agarwal (Samajwadi Party) underlined the fact that even those in the government were not spared and cited the case of a Minister being asked to change his jeans. Reacting to this, Mr. Jaitley urged members to maintain the sanctity of the House and not treat gossip as facts.