archive: Plot to kill Sonia leads to further tightening of her security
Plot to kill Sonia leads to further tightening of her security
Times of India News Service
The Times of India
May 24, 1999
Title: Plot to kill Sonia leads to further tightening of her security
Author: Times of India News Service
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 24, 1999
Congress has demanded enhanced security for party president Sonia
Gandhi after the revelation of a plot to kill her. The government's
official spokesman said it was the Centre which had apprised her of
the information, upon which security had already been stepped up.
Senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Arjun Singh told a press
conference on Sunday that they had called on Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee on Saturday night to bring to his knowledge of the
impending threat. Mr Vajpayee too confirmed about a "certain plot"
being hatched against her.
The Congress leaders said Mr Vajpayee informed them that the
government had ordered all steps to be taken by security agencies and
the same had been conveyed to Ms Gandhi as well.
According to Mr Singh, in view of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's
assassination, as soon as the party came to know of the plot, he
called on President K.R. Narayanan and informed him about the same.
It was at the President's advice that Mr Singh put down in writing
what he had told orally.
The letter to Mr Narayanan said the "same fascist clique", which had
assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, "is now trying to target Sonia Gandhi"
through another "diabolical plan".
Mr Singh, however, refused to give more information as to which
organisations or individuals were conspiring to kill Ms Gandhi. "I
cannot say more than this at the moment. What we know is that the
Prime Minister is aware of Ms Gandhi's threat perception," he said.
However, the official spokesman stated that at no point of time in
their meeting with Mr Vajpayee did Mr Singh and Mr Mukherjee made any
mention of their knowledge of any "fascist clique" that had been
hatched to eliminate Ms Gandhi. The statement added that Mr Vajpayee
did not confirm the plot by any such "fascist clique".
Since security is a serious matter of concern to the entire nation,
the Prime Minister has urged that nobody should politicise it in any
way.
BJP vice-president J.P. Mathur later told The Times of India that home
minister L.K. Advani had, a few days ago, called a meeting and
instructed the home secretary to take all necessary steps to tighten
Ms Gandhi's security. "The BJP endorses Mr Singh's concern for Ms
Gandhi's security," Mr Mathur pointed out.
When asked what other security arrangements could be made when the
special protection group (SPG) cover was already given to Ms Gandhi,
Mr Singh said no security cover was full-proof and the government
should take all the possible additional measures.
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