Rahul Gandhi should renounce SPG cover if terror not an issue: Sushma Swaraj

Hyderabad: Union Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi's reported remarks that terrorism was not an issue and asked if that was the case, he should renounce his SPG security cover.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) says job is an issue not terrorism. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi ji, if terrorism is not an issue and there is no terrorism in the country, then why do you go around with SPG security? From the period of assassination of (former Prime Minister and Rahul's father) Rajiv Gandhi till now all your family is under the security cover of SPG. If you feel that terrorism is not an issue then I want to tell you, you write it and give that you do not need SPG security because you feel there is no terrorism in this country and you are not afraid of anybody," she said.

At an election meeting in Hyderabad, Swaraj referred to the air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot following the Pulwama attack and said opposition parties who do not have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi were taking his Pakistan counterparts statements for granted.

The External Affairs Minister said the air strikes received international support and she received calls from leaders of several countries appreciating India’s stand on terrorism.

Opposition parties in the country were taking exception to the BJP claiming credit for the air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in February, she said.

She said the UPA Government should have taken strong action against Pakistan when the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people including 40 foreign nationals were killed, took place.

Narrating the NDA government's initiatives for people, Swaraj said the ruling party's poll plank will be on three issues- security, development and welfare.

She said as many as 1.16 lakh villages have been connected with fibre optic network. "There were only 77 passport centres in the country now it has gone up to 505 and in Telangana they were just four and it has gone up to 19," Swaraj added.