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Cong-BJP slugfest over security for Varun Gandhi
Two days after BJP leader Maneka Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing his government of being callous about security of her son, Varun, a war of words has broken out between the two parties, reports HT Correspondent.
Two days after BJP leader Maneka Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing his government of being callous about security of her son, Varun, a war of words has broken out between the two parties.
Demanding that Varun’s security be upgraded, BJP's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj referred to the arrest of seven alleged aides of underworld don Chhota Shakeel. The police had said they had come to Delhi to kill the advocate who had taken up Varun's hate-speech case.
Varun, 29, was special Y category protectee (three PSOs round-the-clock, one escort and pilot vehicle) and after various reviews, the arrangement was found to be adequate, PTI, quoting sources in the home ministry, said.
Swaraj said Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal had acknowledged that these men had come to kill Varun's advocate, but refused to accept that Varun, too, was their target.
She said Varun had met Home Minister P. Chidambaram. “But since he did not get a satisfactory response there, I thought I should at least mention the issue in the House and make it a witness. If something happens tomorrow, there will be nothing else than repentance."
She said it was “common sense” that no group will gain anything by killing only an advocate but even if it was so, it was a serious matter.
The Congress rejected the BJP's charge.
“There is a laid down procedure for providing security to every citizen. If it is felt that security needs to be increased, it is done,” party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.
