Cong alleging security breach during Rahul Gandhi yatra childish attempt to gain publicity: BJP

The BJP on Thursday rejected as "baseless" the Congress's allegations of security breach during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and said it was a "childish" attempt on the part of the Opposition party to gain "cheap publicity".

In a statement, the BJP said the country's agencies take care of Rahul Gandhi's security but he himself has been "continuously flouting security protocols."

The statement came a day after the Congress wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging security breaches during the yatra in Delhi, and demanded immediate steps to ensure security of Gandhi and others taking part in the march.

"Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo tour has been unsuccessful that is why the Congress is giving such childish statements to remain in headlines. It is for cheap publicity," BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

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"The truth is that the security agency has made it clear that there is no breach in Rahul Gandhi's security. Gandhi himself has broken security related rules and protocols 113 times since 2020," Bhatia was quoted in a statement issued by the BJP.

The party further said the CRPF, which provides his inner cordon of the Z-plus category security, has made it clear that there was "neither any lapse nor any breach in the security of Rahul Gandhi. But in spite of this, to gain cheap publicity, the Congress is making baseless allegations."

"From 2015 to May 2019, Rahul Gandhi drove in Delhi without a bullet proof vehicle on 1,892 occasions. During this period, Rahul Gandhi on 247 occasions have travelled outside Delhi without a bullet proof vehicle," Bhatia said.

He also claimed that from "2005 to 2014, Rahul Gandhi has travelled in different parts of the country on 18 occasions without bullet proof vehicles. And in his 156 foreign visits since 1991, on 143 visits he did not even take security agency personnel with him."

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal had said in the letter to Shah that "the government should not indulge in vindictive politics and ensure the safety and security of the Congress leaders."

Citing instances of "miscreants" entering the yatra camp site illegally, Venugopal had alleged they were Haryana's intelligence security personnel, and they interrogated people who took part in the yatra.