Snooping: BJP slams Centre's probe panel

"Cabinet appoints a Commission to probe alleged snooping- it is legally a suspect and will be challenged in court," tweeted Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.

"Cabinet decision to appoint a Commission to probe alleged snooping is violative of the Federal structure," he said.

Jaitley also criticized the move on his website.

"The Central Government has announced the setting up a Commission of Inquiry to probe the allegations of alleged snooping by the Gujarat Government. This action is politically motivated.

"The Congress Party has not learnt from the drubbing it got in the elections recently. It has continued with its strategy of fighting Narender Modi not politically but through investigative agencies and now through a Commission of Inquiry," he posted on arunjaitley.com.

Jaitley further said: "The Gujarat Government has already set up a Commission of Inquiry to inquire into this issue. The setting up of a parallel Commission by the Central Government ostensibly on the pretext of this issue covering more than one State is without any basis. 

"This action legally is a suspect and liable for challenge. I am sure it will be legally challenged in courts. The setting up of this Commission violates the federal structure of the Constitution. It is an affront to the States. 

"I hope other Chief Ministers also join in the protest against this action."

BJP president Rajnath Singh said, "It is nothing new, Congress has always targeted Modi. It is doing its best to harass Modi. Let there be an inquiry, the facts will come out."

"Congress is afraid of the popularity of Modi and the BJP," said BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved setting up of an enquiry commission into alleged snooping charges against Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government. 

Investigative news portal Gulail on Tuesday released 39 new audio tapes on the alleged snooping row involving Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi\'s key aide and then state home minister Amit Shah.

"These 39 tapes contain phone conversations between two IPS officers, GL Singhal, who is now a prime accused in the staged-managed killings of Ishrat Jahan, and AK Sharma, then IG of the State Intelligence Bureau," said Gulail.

The portal claimed that the snooping was not confined to Gujarat.

"Gujarat intelligence and anti-terrorist squad officers stalked and snooped on Madhuri beyond the boundaries of the state. Her would-be husband, parents, brothers and friends were under surveillance too. And this had nothing to do with her personal safety or national security. A Saheb in Gujarat was interested in knowing the details of her love life," said Gulail.

"It’s no longer an internal matter of Gujarat. Some 39 new tapes reveal how a ‘Saheb’ of Gujarat used state machinery and violated all phone taping related laws to stalk an unsuspecting woman in cities across the country," it said.

The portal claimed it is in exclusive possession of these new tapes that are not even with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"A new set of audio tapes unravels the brazen lies told by the BJP to defend its leaders and government in Gujarat. These tapes are in exclusive possession of Gulail and are not part of the 267 tapes that were seized from GL Singhal by the CBI in June," said the news portal.

"On November 15, Gulail and CobraPost had exposed how the young woman was being stalked by the Gujarat Police. To protect the identity of this unsuspecting victim of round-the-clock illegal surveillance by top cops of Gujarat’s anti-terrorist squad (ATS), who were being directed by then state home minister Amit Shah, we called her ‘Madhuri’."

"Now, Gulail is revealing that Madhuri, a Bangalore-based architect, was surveilled by the Gujarat police beyond the boundaries of the state. 

"Gulail has obtained 39 new audio tapes of telephone conversations which reveal that the Gujarat Home Department had contacted the Karnataka government in 2009 and sought authorization to intercept the cellphone of Madhuri in whose private life – her movements and relationships – a Saheb was taking great personal interest. 

"Both Mahduri’s family and BJP leadership have admitted that the Saheb in question was Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi," said Gulail.