Punjab politician Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who joined the BJP a few days ago, has been accorded Z category VIP security cover by the Union government, official sources said on Wednesday.
Sodhi, 67, is an MLA for the last four terms and is considered close to former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh.
He recently announced his resignation from the Congress on Twitter and had posted the letter sent to party president Sonia Gandhi.
An MLA from Guruharsahai in Ferozepur district, he was the sports minister in the Amarinder Singh government.
He joined the BJP on December 21 at the party's headquarters here.
Sources said Sodhi has been accorded Z category security on the recommendation of the Union home ministry and he will have an armed cover of the CRPF commandos every time he travels in Punjab and in Delhi.
Under this cover, Sodhi will have a contingent of 6-8 commandos travelling with him, the sources said.
The force protects as many as 76 personalities under its VIP security cover including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the first family of Congress party, its president Sonia Gandhi and her children Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, among others.
It is currently training a contingent of the Delhi Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in VIP security tasks.
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