New Delhi: Former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Samant Goel on Saturday said reducing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security arrangements in the name of austerity was not an appropriate decision and was against national interest.
Goel said the present global security environment is highly unstable and not suitable for experimenting with the security of a country’s head of government. He stressed that the need of the hour was to further strengthen the Prime Minister’s protection instead of scaling it down.
Explaining his concerns, Goel said even Donald Trump had faced multiple attacks despite being protected in what is considered one of the world’s most secure nations.
He added that several hostile elements continue to operate against India and pointed to increasing extremist activities, particularly from neighbouring countries.
Speaking during an event, the former intelligence chief said emerging threats such as drones and sniper weapons have significantly changed the security landscape.
“We need to review and further strengthen the Prime Minister’s security instead of reducing its scale. I personally feel this is not the right step and not in the country’s interest,” Goel said.
Prime Minister Modi had recently reduced his convoy to two vehicles following his public appeal urging citizens to conserve fuel and use resources more responsibly. Several Union ministers have also reportedly scaled down their official convoys in response to the campaign.
