In the ongoing tussle between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s ‘surprise visit’ to the state, allegations of security norm violations has now occupied centre stage. Annoyed with Gandhi’s surprise visit last night to a Dalit-dominated village, the Mayawati administration is crying foul that it has been kept in the dark over the Special Protection Group (SPG)-protected leader’s movements in Uttar Pradesh.
While the UP government alleges that security norms were violated by not informing the state’s home department, the Congress has blamed Mayawati’s “political insecurity” for the hue and cry.
On Wednesday night, Gandhi visited Ram Nagar in Barabanki district and Bahraich in eastern UP. According to Congress sources, Gandhi even spent a night in a dalit home.
“We are writing to the Centre, raising our objections over the way in which Gandhi conducted a tour of the state without prior information to the state government,” UP Home Secretary Mahesh Kumar Gupta said in Lucknow today.
Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, however, maintained that SPG was informed about the visit and “a political leader cannot take permission from another political leader belonging to a different political party for his tours”.
The UPA government has planned to lodge a formal complaint with the Union home ministry against SPG. The Mayawati government’s contention is that by not informing the state administration, the SPG officials have violated the security norms and created a security scare.
But Gandhi’s mission was accomplished, as no one could recognise him when he arrived in Barabanki last night with a convoy of six vehicles. District Congress President Kunwar Singh said: “Only a young man in the village, who has returned from Punjab recently, vaguely recognised him and claimed he had once seen him on TV.”
Gandhi then introduced himself to the villagers and told them that he had come there to listen to their grievances. He also shared meal with the village head (a dalit). He also saw a film on a projector, Singh told agencies.
