Rahul Gandhi assures players’ safety

India’s ruling Congress Party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has assured New Zealanders that his Government would take all precautions to ensure the safety and security of sportspersons visiting India for various events.

“We are aware of the implications of the threats posed by terrorist organisations and we have taken them seriously. Our Government will provide appropriate security to the visiting teams from New Zealand,” he told Labour Party Foreign Affairs spokesman Chris Carter during a meeting in Wellington on February 16.

Mr Gandhi, who is also an elected member of the Lok Sabha (India’s Lower House of Parliament), was in New Zealand last fortnight as the first recipient of the Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship (see related reports on Pages 2 and 3).

He attended a luncheon hosted by Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand on February 15 at the Vogel House in Lower Hutt.

Mr Carter said, “Mr Gandhi was confident that the Indian authorities had a good handle on the situation and wanted to see New Zealand sports teams continue with scheduled visits.”

Security of players has become a major cause of concern after top guerrilla commander Ilyas Kashmiri, whose 313 Brigade is an operational arm of Al Qaeda warned the international community against sending their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket competition and the Commonwealth Games being hosted in India.

Mr Gandhi also had extensive discussions with Labour Party and Opposition Leader Phil Goff in Wellington and Auckland.