5 December 2000

SONIA & DAUGHTER CONTINUE TO GET SPG SECURITY

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka have been extended for yet another one year the security cover of the crack force of the Special Protection Group (SPG), created for protection of the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their family members after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

The SPG security cover of her son Rahul Gandhi, who is now based in Britain, has, however, been discontinued in view of his own desire that he does not require the security that was available to the family since after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Cabinet Secretariat sources said.

A special group, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, reviewed the threat perceptions of Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra with the help of the intelligence reports which showed that they continue to remain prime targets of both Sikh and Tamil militants, the sources said.

The SPG security is otherwise limited to ten years from the date of the person demitting the office of the Prime Minister and as such the Gandhis have already crossed the limit but the threats to life of Sonia Gandhi persists since she continues to be the president of the Congress, the principal Opposition party, as well as the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the sources said. The SPG security cover has been extended until November 28, 2001.

The SPG has already withdrawn the security provided to former Prime Minister V P Singh while it shall be scaled down to a limited SPG cover for former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar from February 1 instead of withdrawing fully since he continues to be a member of Parliament, the sources added. END