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The Centre’s decision to stop Special Protection Group (SPG)’s security cover to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra kicked up a political storm as the Congress alleged that the decision is political vendetta.
The three leaders were given SPG security as family members of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated by terrorists belonging to the LTTE.
Condemning the decision, the Congress said that the Centre has taken such a decision despite SPG’s warnings that the family is still under the hitlist of various terrorist organisations, including Al Qaeda. The party held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah responsible for the decision.
“PM Modi and HM Amit Shah are blinded by personal revenge and political vendetta. This is proven by unceremonious removal of SPG cover of Madame Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,” said Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal.
Talking to reporters at a hurriedly-convened press conference at the AICC headquarters on Friday, Venugopal said Modi and Amit Shah murdered democratic tradition by withdrawing SPG cover. “Two former PMs, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, were murdered and it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who amended law to give SPG security to family of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi,” he added.
Venugopal said there were rumours one month ago that the SPG cover will be withdrawn and at that very moment senior leaders of Congress including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to the Cabinet Secretary against it and expressed serious concerns. The letter, as quoted by Venugopal, said: “The consistent pattern of leakage of sensitive security related information of SPG protectees to the media is a direct breach of security from within the Govt and must be enquired and accountability fixed for this repeated breach.”
“The BJP has descended to the ultimate personal vendetta mechanism, compromising the lives of family members of 2 Former Prime Ministers to acts of terror and violence,” Congress Treasurer and MP Ahmed Patel tweeted.
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