BJP MLA Asim Arun shared an interesting story from the time Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of India.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday at AIIMS hospital in Delhi. He was 92 years old. Tributes poured in for the ex-PM following his sad demise. Remembering Singh, BJP MLA Asim Arun shared an interesting tale from the time Singh was in office. Before stepping into politics, Arun was an IPS officer and served in the Special Protection Group (SPG), which is specifically dedicated to the security of the Prime Minister of India.
Asim Arun took to X and wrote that he served in the team responsible for managing the innermost cordon of the SPG engaged in the PM’s security. The team was called – the ‘Close Protection Team’ (CPT). As part of PM’s security team, he was the constant shadow of Singh for three years.
Arun wrote, “Starting in 2004, I was his bodyguard for nearly three years. The innermost cordon of the SPG in prime minister’s security is managed by the Close Protection Team (CPT). I had the chance to lead that team. The AIG of CPT is someone who could never be far from the PM. If there is a situation in which only one bodyguard could be with the PM, then that would one bodyguard would be this person. It was my duty to be his shadow all the time.”
मैं 2004 से लगभग तीन साल उनका बॉडी गार्ड रहा। एसपीजी में पीएम की सुरक्षा का सबसे अंदरुनी घेरा होता है – क्लोज़ प्रोटेक्शन टीम जिसका नेतृत्व करने का अवसर मुझे मिला था। एआईजी सीपीटी वो व्यक्ति है जो पीएम से कभी भी दूर नहीं रह सकता। यदि एक ही बॉडी गार्ड रह सकता है तो साथ यह बंदा… pic.twitter.com/468MO2Flxe
— Asim Arun (@asim_arun) December 26, 2024
He further wrote that Dr Singh had only one personal vehicle and that was Maruti 800. The car used to parked behind the PM’s official BMW car. He revealed that Singh, many time, expressed his desire to drive around his Maruti 800 instead of the official luxury vehicle as he felt connected to the car as he come from the middle class.
“Dr Sahab had only one car of his own — a Maruti 800. The car would be parked behind the sparking BMW at the Prime Minister’s Residence. Manmohan Ji used of often tell me, ‘Asim, I don’t like to drive around in this car [BMW]. This [Maruti 800] is my car.’ I used to tell him that the BMW is not for his personal glory but has been picked by the SPG for its security features. However, every time the cavalcade would drive by the Maruti, he used to look at his car longingly as he was repeating his pledge in his head: ‘I am a middle-class person and it is my job to think about the concerns of commoners. This car worth crores is of the PM. My car is Maruti,” he wrote.
Notably, Arun, a dedicated member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), represents Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He also shoulders the responsibility of the Minister of State for Social Welfare, independently, as part of the Uttar Pradesh government. Before plunging into the political world, Arun wore a different hat – that of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He was associated with the Special Protection Group (SPG), a crucial unit in charge of safeguarding India’s Prime Minister.
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh took his last breath on Thursday at the age of 92. He prominently served India as the Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, leading the government under the banner of the United Progressive Alliance, backed by the Congress. His political career stretches back to many years of committed service as a Member of Parliament. Notably, his tenure as Finance Minister from 1991 to 1996 in the PV Narasimha Rao government is deeply etched in our minds. During this time, he was the primary architect of India’s far-reaching economic reforms.
