The Union government has met Robert Vadra’s demands; his name has been taken off the no-frisking list. Sonia Gandh’s son-in-law had mocked the Modi government for not taking his name off the list.
Until now, 46-year-old Vadra, businessman husband of Priyanka Gandhi, was exempted from frisking at airports when he travelled with an SPG protectee.
The previous government gave Vadra the facility only when he was travelling with an SPG protectee. Now, he has himself asked to be removed from the list.
— Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State, Civil Aviation
“The government has revised the list of no-frisking passengers at the domestic airports, and Vadra’s name is not on it,” a civil aviation ministry spokesperson added.
He later went on Facebook to comment on the development.
The no-frisking privilege is granted to constitutional figures and those who have elite Special Protection Group (SPG) cover. This includes Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi - the two top leaders of the Congress party — and her daughter Priyanka. They are spared security checks that every other passenger has to go through.
The BJP has repeatedly accused him of abusing VIP security privileges granted to his wife.
Last week, the government had said that there were no plans to remove his name from the VIP list, prompting Vadra to allege a that there was a “conspiracy to malign his image.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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