Sushma accuses Chidambaram of leaking letter

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today sought to embarrass Home Minister P Chidambaram on the Varun Gandhi security issue accusing him of leaking a letter while requesting her to keep it a secret.

"Chidambaram had written the letter asking me to meet him to discuss Varun's security and while I kept the matter a secret, he has leaked it to the media," Swaraj told reporters. A day after BJP attacked him for adopting a "lackadaisical" attitude on Varun's security, the home minister dismissed the allegation saying the BJP MP has been provided adequate protection taking into account the inputs of the intelligence agencies. Swaraj claimed she had shown the letter only to senior party leader L K Advani.

"If Chidambaram wanted to keep security arrangements made for Varun a secret then why did he leak it? I did not tell the press about it but now that it has been made public, I will be cornered to reveal details of my meeting with Chidambaram whenever it takes place," she said, adding, he had "violated propriety" by doing so.

Responding to the statement of Swaraj, who is BJP deputy leader in Lok Sabha, that Varun did not get "satisfactory" and "logical" response from him after seeking upgraded security, Chidambaram said the government has acted on the letter given by Varun on March 20.

The government has also taken into account the inputs provided by the intelligence agencies. As in the case of every other protected person, the level of security provided to Varun is periodically reviewed," Chidambaram said in a one- page letter to Swaraj. Referring to Swaraj's mentioning of the issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha yesterday, Chidambaram said "while I would be happy to respond in the House and disclose the level of security provided to Varun, I thought that (discussing it in Parliament) would defeat the very purpose of providing security to Varun.

"I, therefore, suggest that, if you wish, you may kindly meet me and I shall take you into confidence about the security cover provided to Varun," he said in the letter.

Swaraj said Varun had met the Home Minister in this regard but sadly the response he got was neither "logical" nor "satisfactory".