Priyanka Gandhi campaigning in Amethi
Amethi:
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today gave her security the slip today and drove off without them while campaigning in Amethi, her brother Rahul's constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka, the daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, reportedly left for a rally this morning without waiting for her elaborate security, which includes scores of personnel in about a dozen vehicles with jammers, an ambulance and doctors.
She reportedly also changed her route.
All three Gandhis are among India's most protected VIPs; they are guarded by the elite Special Protection Group or SPG, which also protects the Prime Minister.
Priyanka was without most of her security for some 20 minutes as police and security men chased her and finally caught up with her at her next stop around four km away.
After her public display of displeasure, the SPG kept a distance. Priyanka was seen in meetings later with noticeably less security.
Congress workers say Priyanka was upset that her security was making it difficult for her to interact with people during her campaign. The 42-year-old is popular for her warm, interactive style of campaigning and her ability to establish a direct connect with people.
Though she is not running for Parliament, she has emerged as one of the most popular faces in the election while campaigning in her mother and brother's constituencies, Raebareli and Amethi.
Sources say she had told off the SPG personnel on Wednesday after they kept pushing at people who wanted to talk to her or greet her in meetings.
When reporters asked her whether she felt "stifled" by her security, Priyanka quipped, "Between them and you, you make my life miserable."
The episode has rattled top officers of Uttar Pradesh who are believed to have complained to the SPG about a major security lapse.
Priyanka, the daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, reportedly left for a rally this morning without waiting for her elaborate security, which includes scores of personnel in about a dozen vehicles with jammers, an ambulance and doctors.
She reportedly also changed her route.
All three Gandhis are among India's most protected VIPs; they are guarded by the elite Special Protection Group or SPG, which also protects the Prime Minister.
Priyanka was without most of her security for some 20 minutes as police and security men chased her and finally caught up with her at her next stop around four km away.
After her public display of displeasure, the SPG kept a distance. Priyanka was seen in meetings later with noticeably less security.
Congress workers say Priyanka was upset that her security was making it difficult for her to interact with people during her campaign. The 42-year-old is popular for her warm, interactive style of campaigning and her ability to establish a direct connect with people.
Though she is not running for Parliament, she has emerged as one of the most popular faces in the election while campaigning in her mother and brother's constituencies, Raebareli and Amethi.
Sources say she had told off the SPG personnel on Wednesday after they kept pushing at people who wanted to talk to her or greet her in meetings.
When reporters asked her whether she felt "stifled" by her security, Priyanka quipped, "Between them and you, you make my life miserable."
The episode has rattled top officers of Uttar Pradesh who are believed to have complained to the SPG about a major security lapse.
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