GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has asked all state BJP leaders to give up their personal security officers (PSOs), saying that having personal security is a culture of Congress and not BJP’s.
Attending a function marking former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday here on Saturday, Sarma said, “Why do we need PSOs? Who will assassinate us? I have often been searching for answers to these questions and I find PSO culture is Congress culture.”
The PSOs are drawn from Assam Police ranks and attached to key ministers besides key BJP leaders and political appointees in numerous state government corporations and boards. The practice of having PSOs came into prominence in the 90s amid rise of activities by Ulfa and other militant outfits but when militancy started fading, the PSO practice continued, often used by many more as a status symbol than a necessity.
Sarma’s security cover is of different types based on threat perceptions assessed by the MHA. He is currently under Z category security cover provided by CRPF unlike his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal who also had Z category cover but from the NSG.
Urging the party leaders to discard this culture of Congress, Sarma said by doing so, it would make BJP members different from others “just the way Vajpayee ji wanted us to be different.” “I can guarantee that there is no life threat to any BJP member. No one will kill us because we have not done anything bad,” Sarma said.
Attending a function marking former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday here on Saturday, Sarma said, “Why do we need PSOs? Who will assassinate us? I have often been searching for answers to these questions and I find PSO culture is Congress culture.”
The PSOs are drawn from Assam Police ranks and attached to key ministers besides key BJP leaders and political appointees in numerous state government corporations and boards. The practice of having PSOs came into prominence in the 90s amid rise of activities by Ulfa and other militant outfits but when militancy started fading, the PSO practice continued, often used by many more as a status symbol than a necessity.
Sarma’s security cover is of different types based on threat perceptions assessed by the MHA. He is currently under Z category security cover provided by CRPF unlike his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal who also had Z category cover but from the NSG.
Urging the party leaders to discard this culture of Congress, Sarma said by doing so, it would make BJP members different from others “just the way Vajpayee ji wanted us to be different.” “I can guarantee that there is no life threat to any BJP member. No one will kill us because we have not done anything bad,” Sarma said.
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