After official bungalow, Diggyvijay Singh loses security cover

Bhopal: Weeks after veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh was asked to vacate his official accommodation, which was allotted to him here as former chief minister, the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday withdrew his security co-ver after removing him from the VIP list.

The former chief minister who has been assigned the responsibility of uniting the faction-ridden Con-gress in Madhya Pradesh by the central leadership of Congress ahead of the year-end polls, has failed to make it to the revised VIP list of MP, announced by state security committee here on Friday, denying him security cover being provided to him by the police till now.

MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Kamal Nath has replaced Mr Singh in the revised VIP list of MP, which has retained the VIP status of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and senior BJP leaders and former chief ministers Babulal Gaur and Uma Bharti, who is also a Union minister.

Director general of police of MP Rishi Kumar Shukla said, “We do not prepare the VIP list. It is the state security committee that decides whom should be accorded VIP status”.

Congress, however, cried foul, accusing the state government of victimising Mr Singh to cow him down ahead of the Assembly pol-ls, which are due in MP this November-December.

“Panic has set in the  BJP ever since Mr Singh became active in state politics four months ago. Mr Sing-h’s stature has gro-wn among the public when he dared to traverse the banks of the Narmada on foot despite being a septuagenarian. He is attracting huge crowds wherever he goes in the state, making the BJP nervous,”

PCC vice-president Raja Pateria said. Three ex-chief ministers including Mr Singh were asked to vacate their government quarters, allotted to them here, as per an apex court directive. However, later, two former chief ministers and senior BJP leaders Kailash Joshi and Ms Bharti were allowed to retain their bungalows after being categorised as dignitaries.