Priyanka Gandhi Vadra terms removal of SPG cover as 'politics, this keeps happening'

New Delhi, Nov 21: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday dubbed the removal of SPG cover from the Gandhi family part of politics which keeps happening.

Talking to reporters at the party headquarters here, she also said the country's economy is in a "bad state" and there is a "severe slowdown", to which the Congress has been drawing the government's attention, and the Centre must do something about it.

To reporters' query on removal of Special Protection Group (SPG) cover from the Gandhi family, the Congress leader simply replied, "It's part of politics and this keeps happening."

The Centre earlier this month replaced the SPG cover of the family of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, assassinated by LTTE terrorists on May 21, 1991, with the 'Z-plus' security of the Central Reserve Police Force. Under the Z-plus security, they are being protected by CRPF commandos in close proximity besides guards at their homes and where ever they travel in the country.

The Gandhis are now without SPG protection after 28 years. They were included in the VVIP security list following an amendment in September, 1991 in the SPG Act of 1988. The SPG Act was initially supposed to provide security to only the prime minister and former prime ministers of the country Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now the only person being protected by the elite SPG commandos. SPG protectees, under the rules, are provided with guards, hi-tech vehicles, jammers and an ambulance in their cavalcade.