Mayawati, Mallikarjun Kharge cry foul on Rahul Gandhi 'snooping' issue

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday said the way the inquiry on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was done has raised a sense of doubt.

"Security officials conduct such routine inquiries to ensure security of public figures. But the way this inquiry was conducted in absence of Rahul Gandhi creates a sense of doubt" she told media here.

Earlier in the day, in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Malikarjun Kharge demanded an official response from both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue of why the police found it necessary to visit Rahul Gandhi's residence, which he described as an invasion of the latter's privacy.

Kharge further stated that this was a serious enough issue, as it related not only to Rahul Gandhi, but also to all other Members of Parliament and other important personalities.

In the Rajya Sabha, the issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Gulam Nabi Azad, who called for a suspension of business and demanded a statement on the issue from Home Minister Rajnath Singh immediately.

Azad claimed that the government was attempting not only to curb religious and civil freedoms, but also political freedom, and added that an atmosphere of fear and insecurity was sought to being created.

Janata Dal (United) leader KCTyagi and Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal also spoke on the issue.