It seems the letter is trying to scripts another story of martyrdom in the Nehru-Gandhi family. It also tries to project Priyanka as the ‘œgood wife’ who will follow her husband’s path and pain like Seeta Maiyya.
Priyanka Robert Vadra has apparently written a letter to the SPG chief asking for the removal of her security exemptions at airports in case her husband’s are taken away. The news was reported by NDTV immediately after the reports of government considering removal of Robert Vadra’s name from the list of frisk-exempted at the airports. The son-in-law of Congress high command Sonia Gandhi is the only ‘individual’ after Nobel Laureate the Dalai Lama, named in the list of “VVIPs/VIPs”.
As per NDTV, the letter stated –
“Since the government is now reportedly considering the removal of his name, I would like to inform you that I do not feel it will be correct for my children and me to avail of the facility of exemption of these checks while entering or exiting the airport when we are all traveling together. Request you to ensure that when we are entering or exiting boarding gates there is no disturbance to passengers.”
The NDTV report further states that Priyanka wrote that the exemption to her husband when the both of them travel together was not at their request, that Mr Vadra goes through full security checks when travelling alone, and that it is “embarrassing” to him to be exempted.
NDTV quotes: “It has been a source of constant embarrassment for my husband who has asked me on numerous occasions to have it removed as, in any case, he goes through the full security check and procedure from the normal channel every time he is traveling on his own.”
She was further quoted from the letter saying: “…his inclusion on that list came about at the instance of your predecessors in the SPG/Delhi Police and not upon any request by either of us. It was done ostensibly to facilitate the coordination of the two separate security agencies at the airport when we travelled together.”
Just have a look at the language: “do not feel it will be correct”. Does that mean that Priyanka will be okay with the security detail if her husband is not travelling with her? Last we checked, she is not an MP or a constitutional post holder or a minister in the government. She is just daughter of a prime minister who was killed 23 years ago and whose mother is Congress party’s president and an MP. Her mother is not even the leader of opposition! So what allows Priyanka to avail the security of “two” agencies?
Now what part of a person is embarrassed if he or she is given a full security detail and is enjoying a frisk-free and safe travel? And what did she do when her husband returned from every ‘walk of shame’ of his from airports? Did she write to the home ministry? And if she did, was it laughed off by the then home minister P Chidambaram?
Perhaps no.
As per an RTI reply given to a group called RTI Anonymous in 2012, Chidambaram’s office gave Robert Vadra this exemption because he is a “special case”.
The reply said, “Shri Robert Vadra has been granted exemption from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports in the country on the recommendation of this ministry as a special case as he is married to a SPG protectee, i.e. Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in consultation with central security agencies.”
The ministry gave only limited details, citing exemptions from disclosure. “The details in this regard are exempted from disclosure under Section 24(1) of the RTI Act 2005. Shri Vadra has been exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at all civil airports only while travelling with SPG protectee,” the reply further stated.
It seems the letter is trying to scripts another story of martyrdom in the Nehru-Gandhi family. It also tries to project Priyanka as the “good wife” who will follow her husband’s path and pain like Seeta Maiyya.
Interestingly, SPG chief Durga Prasad is neither aware of such letter nor has seen it. Wonder how it found an easy route to the media?
