New Delhi:
A delegation of top Congress leaders today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him beef up security of Rahul Gandhi in the wake of an alleged threat to his life. The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Treasurer Motilal Vohra, Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, met Singh and apprised him about the alleged threat to the Congress Vice President’s life.
“The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received,” Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.
A Home Ministry official said that Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure propection to Rahul.
Sharma said the Congress delegation also raised issue of proposed “en mass shifting” of around 400 officers of SPG and bringing in new people to replace them.
“SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So its a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel,” he said.
The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children—Rahul and Priyanka—are SPG protectees.
The threat has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Pondicherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in Puducherry tomorrow, for a public meeting.
The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed Congress has been responsible for “closure of industries in Pondicherry” and has threatened that Gandhi will be “blasted” when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.
