Congress refutes allegation against Priyanka

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) The Congress today dismissed as "baseless and speculative" the reports that Ms Priyanka Vadra, the daughter of party president Sonia Gandhi, had visited a temple in Vellore in Tamil Nadu yesterday without informing the state police machinery.

Seeking to downplay the issue, AICC Spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said "leave matters of security to those who are entrusted with the task." "Why should you be unnecessarily concerned about such matters ? " he asked the questioner.

Ms Vadera enjoys "Z" plus category security cover by SPG commandos.

A report from Tamil Nadu said yesterday that Ms Vadera landed at the Chennai airport in a chartered flight with two security personnel and boarded a car and drove to Vellore to visit the 'Sri Narayani Golden temple' there.

Her brother and AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had faced a similar criticism recently during his visit to Orissa.

The MPs of the BJD, the ruling party in Orissa, complained in Parliament early this week that the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family had gone to a tribal hamlet in the night during his four-day long Orissa tour without informing the state police machinery.

UNI SH MSJ HT1835