Priyanka gives SPG the slip; UP govt protests

Allegedly upset by SPG personnel manhandling party workers during one of her meetings, Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday left security personnel in the dark on her whereabouts by driving off alone.

Panicky officials were unable to follow Priyanka since she took away the keys of security vehicles, police sources said. She is understood to have made her way to her brother Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi for an election campaign.

Reports said Priyanka even drove her car herself after asking her driver to leave. A circle officer’s attempts to follow her proved to be unsuccessful. She was later traced to the Sankarganj area of the constituency. Sources said Priyanka was upset with security personnel for deterring her attempts to mingle freely with the local people in the area. 

‘Flouting the rule book’

The incident prompted Uttar Pradesh officials to lodge their protest with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Informed sources said Principal Secretary (Home) Anil Kumar Gupta wrote to the SPG director about how Priyanka was flouting the rule book, breaking security cordons and mingling with crowds during election rallies. He also made mention of the security threats VIPs face from various terrorist groups.