X-CATEGORY CRPF SECURITY FOR 4 BJP LEADERS

THE NUMBER OF LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN SECURITY AFTER RECENTLY JOINING THE BJP HAS GONE UP TO 20; PURELY ON THE THREAT PERCEPTION, SAYS STATE CHIEF ASHWANI SHARMA

CHANDIGARH: The deployment of central security in Punjab for the BJP leaders has increased manifold, especially those who have recently joined the saffron party with four more given ‘X’ category of CRPF, it is learnt.

Former Congress ministers Balbir Sidhu and Gurpreet Kangar and former Akali leader Jagdeep Nakai and former Congress leader Amarjit Singh Tikka have got the cover.

CHANDIGARH: The deployment of central security in Punjab for the BJP leaders has increased manifold, especially those who have recently joined the saffron party with four more given ‘X’ category of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), it is learnt.

Those who have been added in the ‘X’ category cover include former Congress Cabinet ministers Balbir Sidhu and Gurpreet Kangar and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Jagdeep Nakai and former Congress leader Amarjit Singh Tikka.

While Sidhu and Kangar had joined the BJP after the assembly polls earlier this year, Nakai and Tikka had joined the party before the assembly polls.

With this, the number of leaders who have been given security after recently joining the BJP has gone up to 20.

The security, according to Punjab Police officials privy with the developments, have been provided by Ministry of Home Affairs on the recommendations of the security analysis of these leaders done by the Central agencies.

Punjab Police had no idea about the exercise being done to provide security to these agencies, an official privy with developments said.

Earlier, after Captain Amarinder Singh had merged his party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) into the BJP, five prominent leaders, from Amarinder’s party-former Member of Parliament Harjinder Singh Thekedar, former MLA Harchand Kaur, former MLA Prem Mittal and PLC general secretary Kamaldeep Saini were provided CRPF cover under X-category.

All four BJP general secretaries of the Punjab BJP, Dr Subhash Sharma, Rajesh Bagha, Sodhi and Dyal Singh Sodhi and Jeevan Gupta have also been accorded the similar category security.

Already, many leaders who have joined the BJP from other parties including former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar, former MLA, Fatehjung Bajwa, former Youth Akali Dal leader Parminder Brar have been sanctioned ‘Y’ category CRPF security by the MHA after they joined the BJP.

Saffron party leaders though claim security has been provided keeping in

Even as an Intelligence Bureau official, when contacted, termed the provisions of security cover based on the threat perception by Central agencies, eyebrows are being raised in political circles with questions if the central security is being given to show party leaders more powerful.

State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma denied charges that central security is being given to BJP leaders for political gains.

“It is purely on the threat perception by the central agencies,” said Sharma.

A section of the BJP who has not been given this security is also raising questions on the criteria for providing security.