Doing 'hatred politics': Siddaramaiah on govt withdrawing SPG cover to Gandhi family

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday hit out at the Centre for stripping off the Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said that the BJP government is doing nothing but hatred politics.

"The BJP government is doing hatred politics, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi must be given SPG security or else we will protest," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.

Taking to Twitter, the senior Congress leader said that the Gandhi family continues to be the target of many non-state actors and the SPG withdrawal is nothing but political motives turned into "personal vendetta".

"Two of the Gandhi family were assassinated in the attacks and the family continues to be the target of many non-state actors. SPG withdrawal is nothing but political motives turned into personal vendetta," he tweeted.

The decision to remove the SPG cover of three Congress leaders was taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said sources.

The government has now decided to accord them Z plus security. CRPF personnel will now guard the members of the Gandhi family.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the only person who will be under SPG protection.

After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the SPG Act was amended to provide security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate families for a period of 10 years from the date on which the former Prime Minister ceased to hold the office.