Sonia Gandhi thanks SPG, terms it 'outstanding' force

Congress president Sonia Gandhi termed the Special Protection Group (SPG) an "outstanding" force and thanked it on Saturday for protecting her and her family with dedication for 28 years.

New Delhi: A day after the centre withdrew Special Protection Group (SPG) cover from Gandhi family, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to SPG chief Arun Sinha on Saturday and expressed gratitude towards the security team on the behalf of the Gandhi family.

"On behalf of the whole family would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the SPG for looking after our security and wellbeing with such dedication, discretion, and personal care," read the letter.

Sonia Gandhi thanks SPG, terms it 'outstanding' force

The Congress chief said the SPG is an outstanding force and its members imbued with courage and patriotism in every task assigned to them.

The decision to take away the elite SPG protection from Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka was taken after a top-level meeting at the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, said sources.

The centre's decision to revoke the SPG cover was taken to the family of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated by LTTE terrorists on May 21, 1991, was taken after a detailed security assessment, a senior official said.

With this decision, the nearly 3,000-strong force will now only be guarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to reports, the Gandhi family will now be accorded 'Z+' security privileges provided by the CRPF on an all-India basis.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had also thanked the SPG for providing protection to him and his family for so many years.

Recently, the government had withdrawn the SPG cover of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The Congress has alleged that by withdrawing their SPG cover the government was endangering the lives of Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka, and the decision showed that the BJP leadership was "blinded by personal hatred and political vendetta".

Lashing out, the opposition reminded the Modi government that a similar mistake was committed in the case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated, and that it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who amended the law to give SPG security to Gandhi family members.