A news clip of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has gone viral on social media after she hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his recent jibe that she is frequently “on leave” or vacation.
In the interview with India TV, Priyanka countered the remark by referencing the 2013 Gujarat snooping controversy, reviving allegations linked to Shah’s tenure as Gujarat’s home minister.
Priyanka’s Sharp Retort
Responding to Shah’s “leave” remark, Priyanka said he should “quit his old habits of spying on women for Saheb,” a pointed reference to the 2013 surveillance controversy.
She clarified that she had taken a short break to visit her daughter, who had received three days off from work, asserting that she was well within her rights to do so.
The exchange quickly went viral online, with the clip being widely circulated across social media platforms.
The 2013 Gujarat Snooping Controversy
In November 2013, investigative portal Cobrapost and website Gulail released audio tapes under the title Th e Stalkers, alleging that in 2009, then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered surveillance of a young woman architect from Bengaluru.
The tapes allegedly captured conversations between Shah and IPS officer G.L. Singhal, directing a team to monitor the woman’s movements including visits to malls, restaurants, gyms, flights and hospital trips to see her mother. The reports claimed the surveillance was conducted at the behest of “Saheb.”
The Congress had at the time alleged that the reference was to Narendra Modi, who was then Chief Minister of Gujarat. Both Modi and Shah denied wrongdoing.
Woman’s Statement In Supreme Court
In May 2016, the woman in question told the Supreme Court that she was “thankful” for the police surveillance and sought to block further investigation into whether the snooping was illegal or politically ordered.
Meanwhile, former IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, who was also reportedly under surveillance, was suspended and later arrested in separate cases related to alleged corruption and money laundering.
