MHA accords security cover to more BJP candidates in UP, Punjab
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Feb, 2022 11:31 AM
New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) After analysing the threat perceptions during the five states assembly elections, the Ministry of Home Affairs has till now provided central security cover to 23 BJP candidates and leaders in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab till election gets over.
Sources said that BJP candidate and Union Minister S.P.S. Baghel has been provided 'Z' category security cover in Uttar Pradesh by Central Industrial Security Force while other BJP MP Dr Ramesh Chand has been given 'X' category security cover.
Similarly in Punjab, 21 sitting MLAs who are contesting elections have been given 'Y' category security cover from Central Reserve Police Force. The prominent among them are Avtar Singh Zira, Nimisha T. Mehta who recently joined the saffron party, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sardar Kanwar Veer Singh Tohra, Sardar Didar Singh Bhatti, Sardar Kanwar Veer Singh Tohra, Sardar Gurpreet Singh Bhatti, Sardar Hariot Kamal while Sukhwinder Singh Bindra have been given 'Y+' security.
Sources quoting officials said that some of the BJP candidates already have security cover from the state police but even then they have been provided with central security cover.
This security cover will be given to these candidates till the assembly elections and the continuation of the security will be decided after a review of the situation.
The Centre's move to provide security cover to the BJP leaders and candidates is akin to the decision taken by the MHA during the Bengal polls last year wherein central government provided security covers to many BJP leaders and candidates during the election period and subsequently withdrawn after the election process was over.
Earlier, the Union Home Ministry has already accorded VIP security cover to some of the leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and other religious outfits in Punjab.
Recently, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's security cover was also upgraded from Y category to Z category during his stay in Delhi and Punjab. Shekhawat is the BJP election in-charge for the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.
The other turncoats who joined BJP like former Akali Dal's youth wing leader Parminder Singh Brar, Manjinder Singh Sirsa got 'Z' category security while Gurmit Singh Sodhi's security cover was upgraded from the 'Y' category to the 'Z' category. Sodhi had also joined BJP with Sirsa in December.
The Centre's move came after the input by the intelligence agencies that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has activated all of its terror wings to disrupt Punjab's election process. Intelligence inputs, according to sources within the security set up, indicate that ISI-sponsored Sikh terror outfits may attempt to target election rallies in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkhand, and also try to target some important leaders or VIPs.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that he "personally" feels that alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab had cost the BJP heavily.
India on Tuesday recorded 1,68,063 new Covid cases, taking the total tally to 8,21,446. Although the fresh infections were 6.4 per cent less than Monday when the country logged 1,79,723, the weekly positivity rate has climbed to 8.85 per cent and the daily positivity rate has declined to 10.64 per cent. On the other hand, 4,461 Omicron cases were recorded from 28 states.
Delhi reported a 25 per cent surge in Covid-19 cases after recording 19,166 fresh cases. With this, the infection tally has climbed to 15,68,896. Meanwhile, the city has recorded 17 Covid deaths on the second consecutive day, pushing the death toll to 25,177.
On Monday, after a detailed hearing in the matter, a bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said the court will set up a committee headed by a retired top court judge to probe the PM's security breach and asked both the Centre and Punjab government to not move ahead with their respective inquiries into the matter.
Several Supreme Court advocates on Monday claimed to have received an international call with a recorded message asking the apex court not to help the Central government by taking up a case connected with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach in Punjab last week.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are projected to poll 40 per cent and 36 per cent votes in Punjab, respectively, as per the ABP-CVOTER Battle for the States survey. The 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls on February 14, and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
