Assam Cong chief writes to President Kovind over Centre's withdrawal of SPG cover to Gandhi family

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ripun Bora on Monday hit out at the Centre for withdrawing the Special Protection Group (SPG) security coverage provided to the Gandhi family and said it was nothing but "political vendetta" and "cruelty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah" towards them.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ripun Bora on Monday hit out at the Centre for withdrawing the Special Protection Group (SPG) security coverage provided to the Gandhi family and said it was nothing but "political vendetta" and "cruelty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah" towards them. "Recently, the SPG security coverage provided to Sonia Gandhi (Congress interim president), Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were withdrawn without any reason. Therefore, we Assam PCC strongly oppose this move of the BJP government," Bora said in a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind through Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi.

"We think this is nothing but political vendetta and cruelty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah towards Gandhi family," he said. The letter further reads that the Assam PCC along with thousands of workers have staged a 'dharna' against the withdrawal of SPG from the Gandhi family.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) asked how will Prime Minister and Shah explain the country on what basis they have withdrawn the SPG security coverage from Sonia, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka, whose lives are always "most vulnerable". Giving a reference of late prime minister Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi, Bora said: "Indira was brutally killed by her own security guard. Thereafter the government decided to provide SPG security cover to the Prime Minister. It was given to Rajiv Gandhi but was removed during the tenure of Prime Minister VP Singh in 1990. As a result, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by extremists using a human bomb in 1991."

The APCC urged the President to intervene into the "most serious matter" and restore the SPG security cover to the Gandhi family, whose ancestors made supreme sacrifices for the country. After reviewing the security cover of the three Congress leaders, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently decided to withdraw it. The Central government has now decided to provide them with Z plus security cover. The personnel of the CRPF personnel will now guard the Gandhi family.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the only person who will be under SPG protection.After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the SPG Act was amended to provide security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate families for a period of 10 years from the date on which they ceased to hold office. (ANI)

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