Maya helps herself, buys Rs 24-cr Israeli security

FEELING INSECURE: Within 10 days, employees from an Israeli private firm will be in Lucknow.

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New Delhi: The Centre may have denied Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister a Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover but Mayawati has decided to help herself.

With the Central Government unwilling to give into her demands and her three letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for SPG cover falling on deaf ears, Mayawati has come up with a solution.

CNN-IBN has learnt that UP government is buying security and intelligence systems for Mayawati from Israel.

Within 10 days, employees from an Israeli private firm will be in Lucknow to train her security commandos.

She has already purchased new bullet-proof vehicle to ferry her around in Lutyens Delhi, matching up to the other high-profile VIPs in Delhi.

The Israeli security apparatus will cost the UP government Rs 24 crore per year.

Mayawati herself has been claiming that UP doesn’t get the kind of Central funds required to meet up with growing state expenditure.

Obviously, she doesn’t include the growing costs of making herself secure in this. But who really is Mayawati scared of?

Since she returned to power in UP with a full majority government, Mayawati has been at war with the Centre over her security demands.

Ironically the spate of terror strikes has increased in her latest Chief Ministerial tenure.

In addition, her own war with the big dons of UP – be it Raja Bhaiya, Mukhtar Ansari or Atiq Ahmed – and her proposed UPCOCA law has meant massive increases in her own security arrangements.

"This will turn out to be a wastage. It’s not needed,” says Former IG, UP Police, K K Puri.

So far the humble BSP worker has been spending lavishly on celebrating Behenji's life.

Now it looks as if the BSP will have to spend even more money on guarding her life.

NO SECURITY FOR MAYA: GOVT

The Centre on Friday refused to provide an SPG security cover to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, but said that the level of protection provided to her could be raised.

"Under the current provisions, only the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers qualify for Special Protection Group cover. No chief minister or eminent person can get this type of security. So how can SPG security be provided to Mayawati?", Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sriprakash Jaiswal, asked. "However, the category under which she is provided security can be upgraded," he said.

Replying to a question on the possibility of Centre showing some flexibility in her case, Jaiswal said, "there is a committee which decides this issue. If it becomes lenient in this case, the other CMs will also demand a similar SPG cover."

Jaiswal also rejected the argument that Mayawati needed the SPG cover as she frequently travelled across the country. "She can take as many state police personnel and commandos as required whenever and wherever she goes. The Centre would have no objection to that," he added.