Gandhi family's SPG cover was withdrawn by the Modi govt.

REDHI

The Congress has upped its ante against the Narendra Modi government alleging political vendetta after the home ministry announced it was withdrawing the SPG (Special Protection Group) security cover granted to Gandhi family's.

The issue was vociferously raised in Parliament and Congress workers took to the streets of Delhi to protest against the decision of the Modi government to lower the security of Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka from SPG coverage to Z +.

The government has not responded to the charge. In its original statement, the government had said that the new security coverage was reviewed based on the latest threat perception. Now, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys SPG force protection of more than 3,000 people.

Until now, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka also had the same security coverage as the Prime Minister of India. This means that of the four SPG protected in India, three were Gandhis. Now, they are one of approximately 30 VIPs that have Z + security.

SPG protection was given to the Gandhis in 1991 after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The SPG had been created after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her bodyguards in 1984. The SPG emerged in 1988. It was intended to extend protection to the prime minister. Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister and his immediate family obtained SPG protection.

Sonia Gandhi and her children obtained SPG coverage in 1991 and continued to be protected until the government reduced security coverage to Z +. By virtue of being protected by SPG, Sonia Gandhi received a huge bungalow, at 10-Janpath in New Delhi. It was the same bungalow that Rajiv Gandhi had assigned.

The congressional government amended the SPG Act to put the Gandhi family under their protection in 1991. The government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee brought another set of changes in 1999. Withdrew SPG security to former Prime Ministers Rao, HD Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral.

The Modi government had said in early August this year that SPG protection for Manmohan Singh had been withdrawn. Now he has Z + security just like the Gandhis.