NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

RS passes SPG (Amendment) Bill

The Rajya Sabha today unanimously passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 1999 which seeks to provide security to former prime ministers and members of their beyond 10 years, if the level of threat justifies it.

Tabling the bill, Home Minister L K Advani said it was decided that in cases where security was withdrawn from a former prime minister, such security shall also stand withdrawn from the immediate family members. He, however, said that if the level of threat justified continuation of SPG security, the central government would provide it.

The bill replaces the earlier Special Protection Group (Amendment) Ordinance. Advani said the question of VIP security has to be carefully viewed from all aspects and it should be ensured that it does not become a problem for the common citizen. He said that VIP security has proliferated to such an extent in the past 20 years, that it has diminished the political community's image.

Participating in the short discussion, Gurudas Dasgupta (Communist Party of India) said VIP security has of late become a status symbol. Jalaludin Ansari (CPI) said some people with security posed a security threat to others. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (Ind) said that instead of increasing the number of guards, the quality of security needed improvement.

Tell us what you think of this report