New Delhi: The government and the main opposition party, the BJP, feuded openly today about whether security for Narendra Modi, who is running for Prime Minister, should be upgraded.
"I want to tell the NDA (the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance) that Rajiv Gandhi wasn't given the security of even a sub-inspector when they were in power. Maybe that's why he lost his life," said RPN Singh, junior Home Minister.
The BJP-backed National Front government was in power when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991.
A glut of bomb blasts targeted a rally held by Mr Modi in Patna last month. Six people were killed and 83 injured in the explosions which ended before Mr Modi arrived at a large public park in the heart of the city to address tens of thousands of supporters.
Mr Modi is guarded by the Gujarat police and the National Security Guard, whose commandos are offered to chief ministers seen as high-risk targets like J Jayalalithaa.
After the Patna blasts, the BJP said that Mr Modi should be guarded by the elite Special Protection Group which handles the security of the Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children.
Today, Mr Modi's party said it did not want to get into the specifics of what sort of protection should be offered to the 64-year-old prime ministerial candidate, but said the onus is on the Centre to work out the details.
"Our Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi must be given full security. He is a prime terrorist target and the government knows this - still they are not doing anything," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
After Mr Modi was declared the BJP's choice for prime minister in September, central intelligence agencies warned that different groups were prepping to target him, and therefore any state visited by him for election rallies or other meetings should be on high alert and ensure that the leader is given maximum security.
After the bomb blasts in Patna, the Centre decided that when he travels, his security arrangements will be closely coordinated between central intelligence agencies, the Gujarat Police and National Security Guard commandos who escort him, and the government of the state that is hosting him. This Advanced Security Liaison or ASL is similar to how the PM's security is handled.
"I want to tell the NDA (the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance) that Rajiv Gandhi wasn't given the security of even a sub-inspector when they were in power. Maybe that's why he lost his life," said RPN Singh, junior Home Minister.
The BJP-backed National Front government was in power when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991.
A glut of bomb blasts targeted a rally held by Mr Modi in Patna last month. Six people were killed and 83 injured in the explosions which ended before Mr Modi arrived at a large public park in the heart of the city to address tens of thousands of supporters.
Mr Modi is guarded by the Gujarat police and the National Security Guard, whose commandos are offered to chief ministers seen as high-risk targets like J Jayalalithaa.
After the Patna blasts, the BJP said that Mr Modi should be guarded by the elite Special Protection Group which handles the security of the Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children.
Today, Mr Modi's party said it did not want to get into the specifics of what sort of protection should be offered to the 64-year-old prime ministerial candidate, but said the onus is on the Centre to work out the details.
"Our Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi must be given full security. He is a prime terrorist target and the government knows this - still they are not doing anything," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
After Mr Modi was declared the BJP's choice for prime minister in September, central intelligence agencies warned that different groups were prepping to target him, and therefore any state visited by him for election rallies or other meetings should be on high alert and ensure that the leader is given maximum security.
After the bomb blasts in Patna, the Centre decided that when he travels, his security arrangements will be closely coordinated between central intelligence agencies, the Gujarat Police and National Security Guard commandos who escort him, and the government of the state that is hosting him. This Advanced Security Liaison or ASL is similar to how the PM's security is handled.
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