May 23, 1999
Web posted at: 1:57 p.m. EDT (1757 GMT)

In this story: Critics cite her heritage, inexperience Singh: 'Same fascist clique' killed Mohandas Gandhi Most heavily guarded person in India? RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The Congress party charged Sunday that a "fascist clique" plans to kill Sonia Gandhi, its leading candidate for prime minister. Current Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee immediately strengthened protection for Gandhi, a top Congress official said.

Secret service and police were ordered to be vigilant against militants trying to disrupt coming general elections by "precipitating some tragedy," Press Trust of India news agency reported.

"Pre-emptive security measures are beginning to fall in place, and no terrorist group will be able to carry out any major operation anywhere in the country," PTI quoted Federal Home Minister L.K. Advani on Sunday.

The government said Sunday that intelligence agencies were aware of "the threat to Sonia Gandhi's person" several weeks ago, and that they alerted her and asked her to be careful when she appears in public. The statement did not elaborate on the threat.

Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been criticized by opposition parties and some members of her own Congress party for trying to run for prime minister despite a lack of political experience.

Many critics also have suggested she is unfit to be prime minister of India because of her Italian ancestry.

After three top Congress party leaders added their voices to the criticism, Gandhi resigned as party leader on Monday. Since then, party activists have pressured her to withdraw her resignation. She is widely expected to do so after a formal request from the party Tuesday.

Gandhi has not formally said she will take part in the September-October general elections. But the Congress has repeatedly said she is the party's choice for prime minister.

Senior Congress official Arjun Singh, when asked at a news conference in New Delhi if he knew the people or groups responsible for the threat, said he did not want to name names.

But he said the "same fascist clique" that assassinated Mohandas Gandhi in 1948 "is now trying to target Sonia Gandhi" through a "diabolical plot," Indian news agencies reported.

Congress leaders, including Singh, met with the president and the prime minister Saturday to give details of the alleged plan, the reports said.

Mohandas Gandhi, popularly known as the Mahatma, or Great Soul, is not related to Sonia Gandhi or the Gandhi-Nehru family, the political dynasty into which she married.

Mohandas Gandhi, who led the Indian independence movement against British colonialists, was fatally shot by a Hindu militant who blamed him for the creation of Pakistan.

Opposition parties have noted that Gandhi has never held elected office, unlike her husband, Rajiv; her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi; or Indira Gandhi's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, all of whom became prime ministers after years as lawmakers.

Gandhi is perhaps the most heavily guarded person in India, with some 250 policemen forming three cordons of security. The government spends 90 million rupees ($2.1 million) a year on her security.

Her husband, Rajiv, was killed when a Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger guerrilla detonated explosives strapped to her body. Her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, was gunned down by a Sikh bodyguard in 1984 in her prime ministerial residence.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.