RAHUL VIOLATED SECURITY COVER A 100 TIMES: HM IN LS

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid a war of words between the Congress and the government over the stonepelting on Rahul Gandhi, with the former alleging that the attack had put his life at risk and the Home Minister wondering why the Congress vice president went abroad without his SPG cover.

Responding to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s allegation that last week’s stone pelting incident in Gujarat could have killed Rahul, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Congress vice president has violated the security protocol on several occasions in India and abroad.

Rahul and party President Sonia Gandhi were not present in the House.

Countering the Congress charges, the Home Minister said in the past two years, Rahul had carried out 121 planned and unplanned tours. He did not use the bullet proof car on 100 occasions. The offices of the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi were informed of the violations.

Rahul went on foreign tours and informed the SPG at the eleventh hour, creating problems for it to provide proper security, the Minister said while responding to the issue raised by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

In the last two years, Rahul has been out on six foreign visits for 72 days. He did not take along his SPG cover on these occasions, Singh told the Lok Sabha.

“Where did he go? He deliberately did not move with the SPG cover. It is violative of the SPG Act enacted by Parliament,” he said, alleging he has neglected his own security.

The SPG was constituted and trained specially to provide protection to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in view of the threats to him. The SPG Act was later amended to provide security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.

Singh’s sharp attack highlighted Gandhi’s trips abroad, an issue which has often been used by the BJP to attack him.

His remarks led Congress members to troop into the well with placards and were heard shouting slogans like ‘Hitlershahi nahin chalegi’.

“What does he want to hide by not taking the SPG along, the nation and the House want to know,” Singh said.

Earlier, Kharge said when Rahul visited Gujarat’s floodhit areas, stones were pelted on his car and dubbed it as a “lifethreatening attack”.

“It is said in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists hurl stones.

Which Jammu and Kashmir terrorist was in Gujarat? Or BJP workers became terrorists,” he said.

At this, BJP members shouted at Kharge and a war of words broke out in the House.

Kharge alleged that the Centre and the state government failed to extend security. “Was the security deliberately ignored? We will have to see,” he said. Responding to the attacks by BJP that Congress MLAS were not in the state and tucked away in a Karnataka resort, he said the BJP should explain where was the state Chief Minister during the floods and whether stones were hurled at him also.

“Had the stone hit Rahul, he would have lost his life.

There were attempts to kill him. He is son of a martyr, hence we are not afraid,” the Congress leader said.

He said the BJP should apologise for the incident and there should be action against the culprits.

In his response, Rajnath Singh said Rahul was a national leader and a respected member of this House. “Rahul Gandhi is invaluable (anmol dharohar)”.