By IANS,
New Delhi : After refusing to upgrade the security of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi to the top Z plus category, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Tuesday said the level of security provided to him was being “periodically reviewed”.
In a letter addressed to BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who had raised in the Lok Sabha the issue of the threat to Varun Gandhi’s life and the need to improve his protection, Chidambaram said the government had acted on Varun’s security.
“While I would be happy to respond in the house and disclose the level of security provided to Varun Gandhi, I thought that would defeat the very purpose of providing security to Varun Gandhi. I, therefore, suggest that, if you wish, you may kindly meet me and I shall take you into confidence about the security cover provided to Varun Gandhi,” said Chidambaram.
“I may add that the government has acted on the letter dated March 20 by Varun Gandhi and has also taken into account the inputs provided by the intelligence agencies. As in the case of every other protected person, the level of security provided to Varun Gandhi is periodically reviewed.”
“Varun Gandhi met me on June 15. He has not written to me since on the subject.”
Varun Gandhi alleged last week that members of underworld mobster Chhota Shakeel’s gang were plotting to kill him while his mother and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the home ministry was treating the threats to his life casually.
However, after conducting an appraisal of the threat perception, the home ministry decided his current security cover will remain in the Y category.
Y category has a security cover of 11 personnel, while those in the Z plus category have over 30 personnel tailing them and providing proximate security cover.