Orissa protests Cong gen secy’s (mis)adventures
The Times of India
March 12, 2008

The Orissa government has lodged a protest with the Centre over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s secret visits to remote villages during his four-day tour of the state, officials said on Tuesday.

In a letter to Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta, Orissa home secretary T K Mishra has taken strong exception to the manner in which Rahul went missing in Koraput for four hours at night on March 7 even as SPG commandos allegedly misbehaved with the SP, sources said.

The letter says it’s the state government’s responsibility to provide security to VVIPs. The Centre has, in the past, sent special instructions for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul. But the way Rahul breached security and went to a tribal village in a Maoist-hit area without informing the local collector and the SP is an irresponsible act, sources said. Had something gone wrong the Centre would have blamed the state, said top cops. TNN