GUWAHATI: Former chief minister
Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday wrote to Union home minister
Rajnath Singh over the Centre's decision to withdraw the
National Security Guards (NSGs) attached to him.
Gogoi told Singh that the law and order situation in
Assam had deteriorated due to growing activity of jihadi elements and that the Centre's decision to withdraw his
NSG cover was politically motivated.
The three-time chief minister said in his letter, "I do feel that the decision of withdrawal of NSG cover was not taken on merit but for a political reason.
It is discriminatory. I am not asking for any favour but I wish to bring to your kind notice to see whether justice has been done or not."
The octogenarian Congress leader had been put in the Z-Plus security category with NSG cover 10 years ago after his threat perception was reported to have increased because of his tough stand against militant groups and jihadi elements.
He pointed out that had the security cover of any other leader from any other state been reduced, there would have been a lot of hue and cry. "No other political leader of my stature, who has been provided NSG cover, suddenly lost the security just seven months after demitting office. Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta still has NSG cover though he demitted office 15 years ago," Gogoi wrote.