The Central government has made some changes with respect tothe security cover accorded to the Gandhis. Issuing fresh guidelines, theCentre said it is now mandatory for the SPG personnel to accompany them at alltimes whenever they travel abroad. According to the present rule, Sonia Gandhi,Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are guarded by the Special ProtectionGroup (SPG) on their foreign tours. However, the Gandhis would send the SPGpersonnel back if they preferred privacy.

The Gandhi family will now have to submit all detailsrelated to their travel now, as per the new guidelines. According to some mediareports, the family has also been asked to furnish information of their pastfew tours.

The Centre has made it clear that nonacceptance of these newguidelines could lead to curtailment on their foreign visits on account ofsecurity considerations.

What is the SPG?

The Parliament had passed the SPG Act in 1988 after theassassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1985. After the lawcame into force, it directed the group to protect the Prime Minister of India.In 1989, VP Singh government had withdrawn the SPG protection given to theoutgoing PM Rajiv Gandhi.

After Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, the SPG Act wasamended, offering SPG protection to all former Prime Ministers and theirfamilies for a period of at least 10 years. The rule was amended again in 2002to make provision for an annual review. Former prime ministers such as HD DeveGowda also lost their SPG cover after a review.

In August, the Narendra Modi government withdrew the SpecialProtection Group (SPG) from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s securitycover.

A statement from the ministry of home affairs said thatSingh will have Z-plus security instead of SPG. "The current securitycover review is a periodical and professional exercise based on threatperception that is purely based on the professional assessment by securityagencies. Dr. Manmohan Singh continues to have a Z+ security cover," itsaid.