New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, who is in the elite “no frisking” list at the domestic airports, today pressed the Government to take his name off the list.
“Plan to visit every terminal in the Airports in India and add a white tape on my name from the VVIP list and my signature on top !! So look out,” Vadra wrote in his status message on the Facebook.
As of now, Vadra is not frisked at airports if he travels with an SPG protectee. If he is removed from the elite list, he would be subjected to frisking at all airports even if he travels with an SPG protectee.
The issue of Vadra’s exemption from frisking and checking at airport has been raised many times.
Significantly, government had recently said that there were no plans to remove his name from the list.
“We are not withdrawing Robert Vadra’s name from the list. It is not on our radar,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had said.
Last week also Vadra had in a statement questioned why his name was not being removed from the elite ‘no-frisking’ list at airports and wondered if it was a “conspiracy” to malign his image.
“I have given my consent to remove my name from this list many times. My conduct says it, but apparently the analysis disclosed by the government on my threat perception, allegedly says I am not required to be on this list,” he had said.
The current no-frisk list includes the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Union Cabinet ministers, Leader of Opposition, Supreme Court judges, high court chief justices, chief ministers and their deputies, governors and ambassadors.
Those who are protected by the SPG, such as Vadra’s wife Priyanka Gandhi and brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi, are also not frisked.
The Home Ministry had recently asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to go ahead with its plan to review the list of 33 categories of people, including the Dalai Lama and Vadra.
PTI