Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi received an assassination threat on Monday, following which senior leaders of the party met Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss and review Gandhi’s security procedures.
According to a PTI report, a team, including top leaders like Ahmed Patel, Motilal Vohra, Anand Sharma and 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 the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received,” Anand Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.
Sharma said the Congress delegation also raised the 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 it’s a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel.
The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family.
According to a report in The Economic Times, the death threat was sent as a letter to V Narayanswamy, who was a minister in the PMO in the UPA government. The letter alleges that Congress has been responsible for “closure of industries in Pondicherry” and threatens that Gandhi will be “blasted” when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.
Gandhi is set to address a public rally in poll-bound Puducherry.
(With inputs from agencies)
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