Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday questioned in Rajya Sabha why SPG protection should be accorded to the Gandhis, saying the Constitution is equal for all and he would like to see the family in jail on corruption charges.
Welcoming the SPG (Amendment) Bill, he said the assassinations of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had nothing to do with security.
"Constitutional principle of equality before the law applies to them (Gandhis). There cannot be a separate Constitution for them. The Constitution applies to all of us," he said.
Questioning the privilege to them, Swamy remarked: "We want them (Gandhis) to be all alive because I would like to see them to go to jail on corruption charges."
"In the case of Mrs Indira Gandhi, the IB had presented a report saying that two of your security guards are infected and they should be transferred out. It is on record. It is there in the various commissions which have gone into this and it was not approved by Mrs Gandhi herself and also members of the family. And those very two guards assassinated her in her own house, not when she was on tour or when she was addressing a meeting."
Swami said, "It was laid on the table of the House... The Commission has also observed that the Congress party workers and organisers of the venue of the meeting did not extend the required cooperation to the police and created impediments in making proper security arrangements for Rajiv Gandhi particularly in ensuring strict access control in his proximity."
Talking about the present threat perception to the Gandhis, Swamy said, "It must be very serious otherwise Z plus would not have been given."
"She broke the prison rule. And so there is no threat from LTTE."
Demanding to know what else could be the threat, he said in a lighter vein that "Islamic forces cannot be threat because they are very secular. We are the ones who have to suffer from it... Constitutional principle of equality before the law applies to them."
Opposing the bill, P Wilson (DMK) said it targets one party and ignores the assassination of Rajiv and Indira Gandhi.? "Rajiv Gandhi's SPG cover was revoked after he demitted PM's office and then he was assassinated."