PM Modi security breach: Congress allies Sena, NCP demand probe into ‘serious lapse’
The alleged breach has triggered a war of words between the Union government and Congress-led Punjab government.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's route was blocked in Punjab, which the Centre has called a ‘security breach,’ the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which co-govern Maharashtra, described the incident as ‘serious,’ and demanded a thorough investigation into the lapse.
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“The Prime Minister belongs to the whole country. There cannot be any any compromise on his security. The flaws found in PM Modi's security during his visit to Punjab are serious. The country has lost two prime ministers due to these mistakes. This incident should be thoroughly investigated. This is the demand of CM Uddhav Thackeray,” Shiv Sena spokesperon and MP Sanjay Raut tweeted in Marathi, referring to former PMs and Congress leaders Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, who were assassinated in 1984 and 1991, respectively.
Meanwhile, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said in a statement, “Instead of a probe by the Centre or the state, the incident should be probed by a sitting high court judge as any lapse in PM's security is a serious issue.”
The Sena, NCP and Congress together govern Maharashtra. Punjab, where the alleged breach took place, has a Congress government. The Sena is also a former ally of the Prime Minister's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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The alleged breach, which forced PM Modi to cancel a scheduled rally in Ferozepur, has been described by the Congress as an excuse by the BJP to cancel the programme as the turnout was poor. Charanjit Singh Channi, the Punjab chief minister, has repeatedly said there was no breach, adding that a last-minute change in the Prime Minister's programme led to his convoy getting stuck on the road on which agitators were protesting against his visit.
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The incident was, however, condemned by several party leaders such as Sunil Jakhar, Manish Tewari and Rana Gurjit Singh. Tewari, like the NCP, demanded a probe into the lapse by a sitting high court judge.
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The Centre and Punjab government have set up respective high-level teams to probe what went wrong. On Friday, the Supreme Court will take up a public interest litigation (PIL) over the issue.