Rahul Gandhi violated 113 protocols since 2020: CRPF to MHA
Just a day after the Congress claimed security breaches during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) informed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that the Congress leader had violated "laid down guidelines" on numerous occasions. The CRPF stated in its rebuttal that the force makes security arrangements for Gandhi in coordination with state police and other agencies.
Why does this story matter?
On Wednesday, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah and flagged security breaches during the Yatra. The Yatra is a political movement by Congress to re-establish itself in the country. However, it has drawn a lot of criticism, especially from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over matters like Gandhi skipping Parliament for the Yatra.
Rahul Gandhi violated protocols more than 100 times
Since 2020, Rahul Gandhi has 113 violations observed and "duly communicated," claimed CRPF on Thursday. "Violations of laid down guidelines on the part of Rahul Gandhi have been observed on several occasions & this fact has been communicated to him from time to time," the force stated. The CRPF provides an inner cordon of the Congress leader's Z-plus level security.
Security arrangements fully made for Rahul Gandhi: CRPF
"It may further be mentioned that during the Delhi leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra, the protectee has violated security guidelines and CRPF will be taking up this matter separately," the statement said. "It may be pointed out that during visits of the protectee, the required security arrangements are made by the CRPF in coordination with state police & security agencies," it added.
Congress alleged Delhi Police failed during Saturday's Yatra
In its letter to MHA, Congress had claimed that Delhi Police "completely failed in controlling the surging crowd and maintaining a perimeter around Shri Rahul Gandhi, who is assigned Z+ Security." It also said that the condition was so poor that the Bharat Yatris and the Congress workers had to create a security perimeter as the Delhi Police allegedly stayed as "mute spectators."
Bharat Jodo Yatra to enter J&K, Punjab next
Furthermore, Congress also called for better security arrangements for Rahul Gandhi and the Yatra as the BJY enters Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab next. "Moving forward, Bharat Jodo Yatra is slated to enter the sensitive state of Punjab and J&K in the next phase starting from January 3, 2022," the party said in its letter to MHA.
More about Bharat Jodo Yatra
Congress's BJY started in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari on September 7 and has gone through Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. It covered 23 km in the national capital on Saturday, passing through ITO, India Gate, Delhi Gate, Nizamuddin, and Daryaganj. The Yatra will again resume next year on January 3.
