Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said that the ‘Z Plus’ security given to him could be a means to get “authentic information” about him. Official sources said that the Center provided ‘Z Plus’ security to Pawar on Wednesday. This is the highest category of security given to a VIP.
Asked about the enhancement in his security cover, the politician (83) told reporters in Navi Mumbai on Thursday that he was not aware of the reason behind the move. “A Home Ministry official told me that the government has decided to give ‘Z Plus’ security to three people and I am one of them… the other two are Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Pawar said.
“Elections are coming near, so this could be a way to get authentic information about me,” he quipped. A force of 55 armed personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been assigned to provide Pawar with ‘Z Plus’ security. The VIP security classification starts with ‘Z Plus’ (highest), followed by ‘Z’, ‘Y Plus’, ‘Y’ and ‘X’.