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Security list of VIPs pruned; Maya, Lalu, Mulayam untouched

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Agencies

Posted: Nov 11, 2009 at 1744 hrs IST
Shivraj patil

New Delhi Union Home Ministry has pruned the security list of VIPs in the Z and Z-Plus categories and has removed kins of former minister Shivraj Patil besides shifting some retired bureaucrats to Y Category.

Surprisingly, the Ministry has not touched any political stalwarts like RJD Chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav, and more interestingly former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, who fell out of favour from the Government after his name surfaced in the oil-for-food scam in Iraq.

LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan as also Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and Shivraj Patil remain in the Z category, in which 45 guards are used at a time to protect the VIP.

Surprisingly, former bureaucrats including retired Home Secretaries V K Duggal and Dhirendra Singh, and retired CBI Director Vijay Shanker Tiwari have been brought under Y-Special category security cover, a Home Ministry official said and wondered how this could have happened when complete withdrawal of their security had been recommended.

Former Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission K C Pant as well as Shivraj Patil's daughter-in-law, grand-children and his daughter's father-in-law have been removed from the Z and Z-Plus categories.

After complete revamp of X and Y categories, it was expected that Home Minister P Chidambaram, may make radical changes in Z category as he had expressed his opinion that security should be provided only to those who either face credible threats or hold Constitutional posts.

The Home Ministry bureaucrats had recommended withdrawal of security provided by the elite NSG for some VIPs including Mayawati and downgrading the cover for several dignitaries.

They had recommended that NSG security to BJP leader L K Advani, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad and anti-terrorist forum leader M S Bitta should remain.

NSG cover for Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was also recommended to be withdrawn.

VIPs in Z plus category get six PSOs, two guards at house and screening staff and two escorts, while VIPs in Z category do not get screening staff.

After dithering for five years, Home Ministry removed 30 VIPs in X-category security including former Chief Justice of India Y S Sabarwal.

This was followed by withdrawal of security provided to 100 persons including senior bureaucrats and police officials in the 'Y' category including former National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) Chief R S Bedi and Delhi Police's Special Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.

"VIPs from various backgrounds and mostly politicians used all possible connections to prove the genuineness of their security cover before the Home Minister after the initial pruning," a senior official said.

The expenditure incurred due to the VIP security was also a constant financial burden on the Ministry, they said.

In some of the cases, it was observed that VIPs were enjoying state security more as a status symbol and not due to any threat perception, they said.

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security by WeThePeople on 13 Nov 2009

Maya, Lalu, mulayam are all a part of the inefficient, shameless, corrupt, hooligan cadre of politicians. And in my opinion the POI (people of India) wake up, plz donot keep electing these baztards again and again back to power please, these good-for-nothing fellows and their likes are the reason why India has not been able to develop so far. Plz POI wake up, look around you the whole world has moved up, we are still caught in religion, region, language and petty politics which gives these arsholes a free ride. Plz stop this , we need a french revolution to fix this system and bring in the change we want to see around us.

SECURITY FOR POLITICIANS by NIRANJAN on 13 Nov 2009

BUT THESE POOR NETAs AND POLITICIANS NEED SECURITY FROM THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE LIED TO, HURT, CLIMBED OVER AND KICKED AROUND DURING THEIR LIFE IN POLITICS. THEY ARE MORE AFRAID OF THE AAM AADMI THAN OF THE REAL TERRORISTS!

Security for what ? by Indian on 12 Nov 2009

Why there should be a security for all these corrupt politicians? If the have not done any goonda acts why should they fear after all they day in and day out shout they are for the people it is a waste of tax payers money to protect these people when there is no security for the common man. Look what happened when these guys (PM) stopped an emergency patient he died.In India it has become a fashion for tom dick and harry to have security this is also mentioned by our supreme court.In fact the court asked them to sit in the house if they fear for life these are the leaders we have now for which we have to be ashamed. Majority of law enforcement personnel are wasted for this useless purpose. I hope the leaders with some self respect (if at all if there is any one?) should refuse this nonsense. Some one suggested tihar but even that is a waste for these guys. God save India Jaihind

VIP Security by C Krishnan on 12 Nov 2009

I fully agree with this msg. Squeezing the poor and giving the juice to these said to be corrupt and wealthy crorepati's are not required. If they want security let them make their own.

Security to VIP's by sivaram maratha on 12 Nov 2009

Dear Chidambaram Sir, I need "Z" security for the following reasons: 1. My car driver does not come on time. Sometimes I have to go and pick him up. 2. My laundry servant does'nt wash clothes properly. 3. My milkmaid does'nt come on time. I need tea everyday and early in the morning. 4. My house maid, my biggest problem, skips work frequently. 5. Somebody needs to take my dog out everyday. I respectfully request you to send your "Z" security people to help me with the above problems as they have enough experience in working for their bossess. By the way I forgot to tell you that I need a status symbol to when I go to parties. Thank you, Sivaram Maratha

???VIP by Indian on 11 Nov 2009

Lalu, Mulayam, Mayawati and others should pay for this service.What good they have done to the country? They are dead weight on Bharat Mata.

VIP security by Kalpathy Venkataraman on 11 Nov 2009

The most secure place for the Indian VIPs is the Tihar jail. They can get individual cell and round the clock security. That way we can assure their security as well as the security of the country.

VIP security by Joseph on 12 Nov 2009

What a good idea! I really appreciate your thinking and I fully agree with you.

VIP Security by A.Dias on 12 Nov 2009

Your idea is the most suitable one for these so called VIP's

Security at whose cost ? by Gopal on 11 Nov 2009

The security list of VIPs need to be pruned further. Why do people like Lalu and Mulayam need security. The people have already boycotted them. If they still insist security being provided to them, it should be at their cost and not at the cost of tax payers' blood.

VIP security by bala_50 on 12 Nov 2009

In my view only common people need security from these politicians. Home minister should find some novel way of protecting citizens of our country rather than protecting these people who are ruining the country, culture and wealth

plundering public exhequer by rajiv kumar on 11 Nov 2009

This is the biggest irony that we are in still feudal mode of governance. The format has only being changed. Its a political parapharnelia which is hollowing the faith in indian political system.

Security list of VIPs by k.vishwakarma on 11 Nov 2009

Go to Jharkhand, The ministers their come with not less than 25 security guards around them. That is to show their power and importance and nothing to do with threat. Who in this whole world would want to kill a minister of irrgation Jharkhand state? No one.

Security cover to so called VIPs. by P.S.Panwar on 11 Nov 2009

Some seriously require the security and many pretend to require security. Some use security personnel for the domestic help at the cost of public.The MLAs and MPs whose wealth is over 3 crore should bear the cost security in proportion of their wealth.

Security cover to so called VIPs. by P.S.Panwar on 11 Nov 2009

Some seriously require the security and many pretend to require security. Some use security personnel for the domestic help at the cost of public.The MLAs and MPs whose wealth is over 3 crore should bear the cost security in proportion of their wealth.

Clever move. by Sakthi on 11 Nov 2009

It is a clever move by congress to continue the Z plus security cover to Lalu and Mulayam.It want them to distant themselves from the common man and diminish their political carrier in the long run. The congress have already got some success and in the coming years both these leaders will further loosen their grip over their states.

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