Kolkata: Miffed with the Centre over the withdrawal of former PM Manmohan Singh's SPG protection, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said on Monday "security cover should not be removed selectively" and such decisions should be taken as per norms.
The Special Protection Group (SPG) cover given to Singh was withdrawn following a review by multiple security agencies, officials have said.
The former prime minister will now get Z-plus security cover to be given by one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), preferably by the CRPF.
"The MHA has reviewed and withdrawn the security cover. They have also given a reason for doing this. But my point is that security cover should not be withdrawn selectively, just because Singh was a prime minister of the Congress government," Chowdhury told PTI over the phone.
During the 10 years of UPA rule at the Centre, all former prime ministers have enjoyed SPG cover, the Congress leader asserted.
"But if the BJP government thinks otherwise it is up to them. When it comes to providing security cover, it should be done as per norms, Chowdhury said.
"After demitting his office (in 2014) Singh has neither asked for security cover nor will he ask for it in future. It was the government's decision," he said.
With the removal of Singh's SPG protection, the top-notch security cover will now be given only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gandhi family -- Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children, Rahul and Priyanka.
The SPG was set up in 1985 after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. Parliament passed the SPG Act in 1988, dedicating the group to protecting the prime minister. At the time, the Act did not have provisions for former prime ministers.
When VP Singh came to power in 1989, his government withdrew SPG protection given to his predecessor Rajiv Gandhi.
The SPG Act was, however, amended to offer SPG cover to all former prime ministers and their families for at least 10 years, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government conducted a review of the SPG's functioning and decided to withdraw the cover given to former prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral.
In 2003, he amended the SPG Act again to bring the period of automatic protection down from 10 years to "a period of one year from the date on which the former prime minister ceased to hold office" and beyond one year based on the level of threat as decided by the government.
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