Shashi Tharoor MP has questioned the logic behind the extreme level of security provided to VIPs as at least 13 train services are set to be affected in the event of the inauguration of Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 25.
Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Station at 10.30 am on April 25, a day after he arrives in the state.
The entry of the Vande Bharat Express in Kerala last Friday, a day before Vishu, had been turned into a celebration by the BJP that declared it a festival gift from the Centre.
Now with at least two days of rescheduling and short-termination of services announced to facilitate the inauguration, Tharoor has said "our security goes too far".
"I have never seen so many restrictions, entire roads shut down, traffic halted, now trains diverted, in any other country. Other heads of govt function w/bullet-proof (sic) vehicles & guards but why do our VIPs need this level of protection?" Tharoor tweeted in response to a comment that mentioned "2 days of inconveniencing 1000s of passengers".
Tharoor has said the SPG, (Special Protection Group) whose sole responsibility is to protect the prime minister, "has become a law unto itself".
"No MP or even CM has a say. We do as we’re told. The argument is the PM’s safety is at stake. But is it really? Does even PM need this much?" Tharoor said in another tweet.
