BENGALURU: The state Congress has cried foul over the withdrawal of SPG cover to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said, ‘’Only those blinded by political vendetta can become this inhuman. Two members of this family-Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi-have been felled by assassins, and yet they are treating their security issue flippantly. Modi has revealed that he has no humanity left in his 56-inch chest. ‘’
Senior Congress leader HK Patil said, “The BJP government is behaving in an extremely mean way. SPG is not a status symbol, it is protection for leaders. The country will not appreciate the step taken. I condemn it.’’
Congress spokesman V S Ugrappa, and other party MPs, MLAs and MLCs expressed shock and condemned the move as “unacceptable and vindictive.”
‘’In 1991, we saw the terrible consequences of poor security, when Rajivji was assassinated. In 2019, we’re seeing a vicious, vindictive government putting the lives of their main political rivals, the Gandhi family, at risk by withdrawing their SPG cover. This could have terrible consequences. I hope better sense will prevail and this decision is reversed,’’ said former Union minister Margaret Alva.