Congress today upped the ante on the issue of snooping on party vice President Rahul Gandhi saying "Big brother is watching" and rejected the government's reply in Parliament as "completely redundant".
The party alleged that the government was "trivialising" the issue and leaders of BJP were making misleading statements.
Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi also rubbished suggestions that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had in the past filled up a proforma like the one that was taken to Rahul Gandhi's office saying "neither Sonia nor Rahul or their private secretaries have filled up any such form on their behalf."
When asked whether Congress could bring any privilege notice if it feels that the government had 'misled' Parliament on the issue, and mull legal options, Singhvi said, "as far as other remedies are concerned, we will consider it. We are not ruling out anything."
Singhvi said Congress was raising a larger question which was not confined for form filling or one individual.
"We have a police state mentality -- first in one state and now here also. Big brother is watching you, not only if you are a leader of Opposition. Big brother is watching you even if you are an NDA ally or even a BJP person. Big brother is definitely watching you all the more if you are in Opposition."
Rejecting government's reply in both Houses, he said, "we have heard replies of the government, which are completely redundant and prove the point that we were making."
"It's not a question of a form being filled up. Do not trivialise the issue by confining it to a form. Leaders of BJP were making misleading statements."
Detailing the sequence of events, Singhvi said,"first they sent one person ASI Shamsher Singh, who was found roaming around and asking questions.
He had not come out with a form to Rahul Gandhi's office. It was recovered from him only later by Gandhi's staffs. Then two beat constables from Tughlaq Road police station went there on March 12. Then two officers including Additional DCP Jatin Narwal came there on March 14 asked questions about the aides of Rahul Gandhi.
"This has never been done for SPG protectee. Two former police commissioners have called it idiotic. The issue is not a form. BJP has been repeatedly saying that our objection was on form to obfuscate," he said.
