"The govt replies on the issue are irrelevant. There is not question of filling a form. If they wanted that they could have sent a form or made an appointment," Singhvi said.
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Earlier, speaking in Parliament, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said 526 VVIPs (very very important persons) had been profiled over the years. Naidu said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj were among those profiled. He said President Pranab Mukherjee was also profiled when he was part of the UPA government. Naidu said Vajpayee had also been asked questions about his dress and footwear.
"Sonia ji... same proforma was given to her. It is a routine exercise. Nothing to do with this model or that. Gujarat is pride of the country... (you) are making an issue out of non-issue. My government does not believe in surveillance," Naidu said.
Responding to allegations made by the Congress, union finance minister Arun Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha that the issue concerning security should not be trivialized.
He referred to the Congress' digs at the proforma seeking information about shoes, and said the body of former PM Rajiv Gandhi was recognized by the shoes he was wearing at the time of his death.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in May 1991 during an election meeting.
"Therefore, what kind of shoe you wear may look funny to the Congress party today but it is relevant for security purposes," Jaitley said.
The alleged snooping on Rahul Gandhi was raised by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the Lok Sabha and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Rajya Sabha.
Kharge, who spoke after question hour, said Delhi Police paid three visits to Rahul Gandhi's residence in the past 15 days. He asked the government to clarify who ordered the visits.
He said the Special Protection Group personnel at Gandhi's residence had caught a Delhi Police official in "suspicious circumstances" earlier this month.
"Rahul ji is under protection of SPG. The government has minute to minute information (about his movements). Why was a proforma sent?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi is, at present, on "leave of absence" to reflect on the Congress party's future course.
The Delhi Police personnel had last week visited Rahul Gandhi's office and sought details about his height and colour of eyes and hair. Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi has denied that his force was profiling opposition leaders at the behest of the government, stating that the procedure has been practiced for decades.
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