Following Indira Gandhi's ghastly assasination, threat perception to her family members necessitated forming of an elite security cover called Special Protection Group. that was considered to be necessary because Rajiv who ascended to PM's office had threats to his life from every conceivable corner. Media was speculating on the enormous sums of money spent on security of an individual which a poor country can not afford. VP Singh  who followed Rajiv following outrage over Bofors and an electoral defeat parroted the same theme. Disgusted Rajv gave up his security cover ultimately paying his life as price to outlandish assasins. Then the scope of SPG act was widened to include all and sundry including immediate family members of Prime Ministers with the result that Devegowda's pet dog also qualified for SPG protection. This time around there was no media outburst.

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha and Dr.Subramanian Swamy qualified for SPG cover following threat perceptions from LTTE. Both were vehement critics of LTTE and its leadership. When SC ordered Jayalalitha to appear in person before the Special Court in Bangalore, the security threat was cited as a reason which the SC declined to accept judiciously. She went and testified and nothing had happened. Nothing will ever happen because LTTE is now finished and Jayalalitha has sympathisers in LTTE and pro LTTE elements in Tamil Nadu politics. She passed a resolution in assembly to try Rajapakse for alleged war crimes. Right now, she is seen as the savior of tamils which her arch rival Karunanidhi was claiming as his birth right. Now why is that such enormous sums of money spent on SPG security to our politicians are not questioned by CAGS and civil society members? It is high time SPG act is revisited and pruned and those who want the SPG should be asked to pay for it barring those extremely vulnerable targets. I am sure continuing SPG cover for all hues of politicians is robbing the exchequer.