After Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma got into an ugly confrontation with CISF officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when he was denied VIP privileges he was not entitled to, guess what the government’s response has been?

It’s looking at the possibility of expanding the list of VIPs exempted from pre-embarkation checks to now include Ministers of State. There are 45 such ministers in the Union Government. The last time the list (see chart) was amended was in 2005 when Robert Vadra’s name was added to it — the only individual mentioned by name in the list.

As The Sunday Express had reported on April 29, Sharma, on his way to attend a Hindi conference in New York on April 20, was asked by CISF officials to go through the routine drill — immigration and security checks — just like any other passenger. Sharma is said to have insisted on using the special passage meant for VIPs on the list of 23 categories of individuals exempt from such checks.

Incidentally, this list also applies to the use of the ceremonial (read VIP) lounge at Delhi airport. The Protocol Division of the MEA, which controls access to this lounge, reports to Sharma. As a result, he has had little problem using this facility. But with the arrest of BJP MP Babulal Katara, the CISF has become strict and that’s why it decided to put its foot down to say No to the Minister — without much luck.

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