NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday reacted strongly to the Central Reserve Police Force's complaint about party leader Rahul Gandhi's alleged violation of security protocol, wondering if it is an attempt to "intimidate" the Leader of Opposition ahead of his fresh "expose on electoral malpractices".
Pawan Khera, Chairman, Media and Publicity Department AICC, in a post on the social media platform X, said, "The timing of the CRPF's letter and its instant public release raise disturbing questions."
He was reacting to CRPF's letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, alleging violation of security protocol by Gandhi.
Khera said that the CRPF letter comes "just as Shri @RahulGandhi is leading the charge against the BJP’s Vote Chori carried out with the Election Commission’s complicity".
"Is this a veiled attempt to intimidate the Leader of Opposition, who has already announced another imminent disclosure? Is the government rattled by the truth he is about to reveal?" asked Khera.
Earlier in the day, the CRPF's letter raised concerns over the Leader of the Opposition's security protocol breach
The September 10 letter, written by CRPF VVIP Security chief Sunil June, accused Gandhi of not following security protocols and often violating them on multiple occasions.
June claimed that the Raebareli MP, despite being a political figure with a VVIP profile, was not taking his security seriously.
The development comes close on the heels of an alleged security breach during Gandhi's visit to Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency that he represents.
During his visit on Wednesday, the Congress MP faced protests and opposition from BJP workers, who blocked the highway and raised slogans like "Rahul Gandhi, go back".
While the police tried to disperse the protesters, Gandhi's convoy stood stuck on the highway for about 15 minutes. Police and protesters were engaged in a verbal squabble, and it was only after the cops prevailed over the latter that the Congress MP's convoy could pass through.