The plot to kidnap Rahul Gandhi in order to secure the release of terrorists in Indian prisons may be significant, given that Islamist terror groups have not hitherto targeted India’s Family No 1. But is the Gandhi scion the prime target for terrorists? No quite. Central agencies continue to believe that the dubious honour goes to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Along with former Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu—who faces Naxal threats—Modi is for all practical purposes the most threatened VVIP in the country, a fact that North Block cannot dispute. With Gujarat headed for elections, the Congress-led Government at the Centre is now anxious that nothing untoward happens during Modi’s campaigns and is, therefore, doing all it can to prevent security lapses.
