Gujarat snooping row: Congress asks why no PSO was provided to woman

New Delhi, June 28, 2013:: Union I & B Minister Manish Tewari during a press conference following a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in New Delhi on Friday June 28, 2013. photo Rajeev Bhatt

Launching a fresh attack on the BJP over the Gujarat snooping row, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Monday asked why no personnel security officers (PSOs) was provided if the woman in question was being protected at her father’s behest.

“BJP claims lady was protected at father’s behest. Was threat assessed? Why not PSOs provided?” Mr. Tewari, who is also Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, posted on Twitter.

Two investigative portals,

Cobrapost and

Gulail , had claimed on November 15 that Amit Shah, the former Home Minister and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s close aide, had ordered illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of one “saheb”.

They had released taped conversation between Mr. Shah and an IPS officer to back up their claim, adding that its authenticity could not be confirmed.

Mr. Tewari further asked, “Why court ignominy of being the stalking ‘Sahebzada’”

Congress women leaders had on Sunday said that Mr. Modi “does not deserve” to be BJP’s PM candidate if the

Cobrapost claim on illegal spying on a woman architect in Gujarat in 2009 are found to be correct and demanded an inquiry into the issue by a Supreme Court judge.

Union Ministers Girija Vyas and Jayanti Natrajan, former UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Mahila Congress chief Shobha Oza had said that the honour and dignity of every woman in India was at stake in the backdrop of “serious issue in which a young woman was stalked, followed, spied upon on during her every waking act by no less than an entire anti-terror squad of Gujarat Police”.

The women leaders had wondered, “Does this illegal snooping not raise moral and ethical issues as to capability, mannerism and style of governance of Modi?"

“Can a person with such a flagrant disregard for law, Constitution and liberty of people be trusted to run any public responsibility and protect the rights of citizens,” they had asked.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh has already ruled out a rethink on BJP’s PM candidate.