New Delhi: Facing a furious Opposition Congress in the Lok Sabha over attack on its vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today laid all the blame on the leader, who is a SPG protectee, for blatantly violating all norms of the special security provided to him, and denied the party's charge that the state government had failed to ensure his security. 'The law is taking its course, and a probe has been set up under ADG by the Chief Minister and one person has been arrested in connection with the case,' the Home Minister said amidst slogan shouting by the Congress members in the Well of the House who were demanding an explanation from the Centre and the state government and an apology from BJP workers.
The uproar led to adjournment of the House for 30 minutes. Mr Gandhi violated SPG security norms 100 times during 121 planned and unplanned visits during the past two years by refusing to travel in a bullet restraint car, and moreover, in recent times he had been to foreign visit six times for 72 days but did not take SPG cover, Mr Singh said. 'The matter has been brought to the notice of the Congress president and the Congress office but nobody got back to us,' the Home Minister said. A war of words ensued between the Treasury and Opposition benches when Leader of the Congress in the House Mallikarjun Kharge , while raising the issue during Question Hour, said that the BJP was describing those who were pelting stones in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorists, then should BJP workers who stoned Mr Gandhi's car should also be called a terrorist.
There was a volley of protests from the BJP Members over his words, and they urged Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to expunge the remark. Moving ahead with his response to Mr Kharge's charges, the Home Minister came to the specific incident of August 4 when the attack on Mr Gandhi took place when he was travelling through Dhanera tehsil in flood-affected Banaskantha district of Gujarat. He said that when the Congress leader after getting down from his chopper at Thavar helipad was moving towards the bullet restraint car, his personal secretary advised him to take a non-bullet proof car, and he boarded a Toyota Fortuner with ordinary window glass, in violation of all SPG norms. (UNI)
