Congress slams BJP for downgrading Gandhi family security cover

A senior leader in Congress has claimed that the government's reported decision to downgrade the Gandhi family's security from SPG to Z+ is a hidden RSS agenda.

Accusing the government of ignoring 'known threat' to the Gandhis, senior Congress leader Nana Patole said that the party will not let anything happen to them.

"The country knows Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives. The threat to the Gandhi family is known. Congress will not allow anything to happen to the family," he said.

After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government had passed a bill to provide the highest security cover to all members of the Gandhi family - including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi as well as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sonia Gandhi's close aide Ahmed Patel slammed the BJP and accused the ruling party of descending "to the ultimate personal vendetta mechanism".

"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," Ahmed Patel said in a tweet.

Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia echoed the sentiments and



tweeted that the government's move will leave the Gandhi family vulnerable to terror attacks.

"Shocking! Govt has withdrawn #SPG protection provided under law to Sonia Gandhi ji, @RahulGandhi ji & @priyankagandhi ji as Ex-PM’s family making them vulnerable to terror attack. The nation lost 2 PMs & the family lost 2 members; Indiraji & Rajivji in terror attack," Arjun Modhwadia tweeted.

"It is extremely unfortunate and uncharacteristic of the govt to take away SPG protection from a family who have lost family members to extreme violence even after high security. This act of political vendetta is petty and utterly shameful," Youth Congress said in a similar tweet.

According to sources, the Centre has decided to replace Gandhi family's SPG security Z+ which is taken care of by the CRPF. The sources added that the decision to withdraw the SPG security cover has been taken after assessing threat inputs from all agencies.

In the recent past, there has been no direct threat to the Gandhi family, according to sources.

Recently, the government had downgraded the security cover of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh's security cover was downgraded from SPG to Z+.