A day after the Union government withdrew the Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover from the Gandhi family, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday described the SPG as an “outstanding” force.
In a letter to SPG Director Arun Kumar Sinha, she expressed her gratitude to the SPG for protecting her and her family with “dedication, discretion and personal care”. “Ever since our security was put in the hands of the SPG, my family and I have felt a great sense of reassurance and confidence that we are in the best possible hands. Every day, for the last 28 years, we have experienced the unfailing high professionalism, dedication to duty and sincerity with which the SPG protected us,” she said in the letter.
“On behalf of my whole family, I would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the SPG for looking after our security and well being with such dedication, discretion and personal care,” she said.
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On Friday, the Centre replaced the Gandhi family’s SPG security cover with ‘Z Plus’ security of the CRPF after a review of assessment of threat to Ms. Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Earlier, Mr. Gandhi had thanked the SPG for providing protection to him and his family for so many years.
Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram expressed outrage in a tweet put out by his family. “The government’s decision to withdraw SPG protection for the Gandhis is an outrageous and mad decision. It is said ‘Those who the gods wish to destroy, they first make them mad’,” said Mr. Chidambaram, who is now in jail on corruption charges.
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