Rahul Gandhi gets 'death threat', Cong asks HM to beef up security

An anonymous letter threatening to kill Rahul Gandhi at an election meeting in Puducherry has been received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy.

The Congress vice president is scheduled to address an election rally of the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance on Tuesday at Karaikal in Puducherry.

After the death threat letter surfaced, a delegation of top Congress leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Monday and urged him to beef up Rahul's security. Singh assured the delegation there will be prompt action and security enhancement.

Narayanasamy, an All India Congress Committee General Secretary and a former Union minister, told PTI from Karaikal over phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.

He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former prime minister's son and be blasted while attending a meeting."

Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.

The Congress delegation including Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to Rahul's life.

"The home minister has assured prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of Centre and and states and Special Protection Group will be alerted to the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Rajnath.

The SPG guards the prime minister, the former prime ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children--Rahul and Priyanka--are SPG protectees.

Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.