New Delhi, March 16 (IANS): The practice of collecting information about VVIPs for their security started as early as 1957, the government said on Monday, as the Congress created an uproar alleging snooping on party vice president Rahul Gandhi.

"A practice has been going on from 1957. In 1987, a form was devised when Congress was in power," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Monday in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

In the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "It is a procedure started in 1957 by the Delhi Police. The proforma for collating information was revised in 1999 to maintain profiles of senior leaders living in Lutyens' Delhi."

Police last week visited Gandhi's office and inquired about his physical appearance, his height, colour of eyes and hair, among others.

While Delhi Police said this was a "routine" exercise, the Congress and other opposition parties termed it "political espionage".