New Delhi, June 28: You can do without guns, but not men with guns.

At least, so believe Delhi’s netas.

For long seen as small fish in the big pond of politicians in the national capital, members of the Delhi Assembly have had enough. They now want gun-toting securitymen around them.

Ask them why, and they’ll come up with what they think is disarming logic: a “heightened threat perception”.

Result: the Sheila Dikshit government is thinking of providing police protection to all MLAs.

“In my area, land worth around Rs 50 crore is with the land mafia. I have done everything to dismantle them. They are a threat to me every day. They have harassed me everywhere I go. This is the case with every legislator in Delhi who raises his voice against anti-social elements in the capital,” said BJP MLA Naresh Gaur, who raised the issue in the Assembly last week.

“Also, we get back from weddings or other events late at night. What if someone grabs us, given the crime rate in the city? So I demand that we be given protection.”

The call for security has united all members cutting across party lines. So where’s the problem, when the chief minister, too, seems to agree?

The cops aren’t that sure. Already stretched, the police department isn’t happy at all. Although no one is willing to go on record, many senior officers are sceptical about the perceived threat to the city-state’s legislators.

For the record, though, Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said the force would go by the government’s “instructions”. “We are no one to comment on these issues, the decision is with the government.”

But off the record, several officers said the police would be stretched to the limit if they had to provide personnel for the 70 members of the Delhi Assembly.

Around 15,000 police personnel, about a fourth of the force’s strength, now guard VIPs in Delhi. Even police control room vans are positioned in such a way that VIP houses are accessible at all times.

“There are about 250 VIPs in the capital whose police protection is merely ceremonial. It’s either a status symbol or just for a whim. There was a notification sometime back to review the security of many of the protectees, but a mere 100 were removed from the 15,000 on such duty. This means absolutely nothing,” said a senior police official.

The department, which recently advertised for 6,000 personnel, is hard-pressed to even provide men for the special cells it has planned to set up in 11 areas.

But the legislators are adamant. BJP MLA Jagdish Mukhi said security was necessary and pointed out that except in Rajasthan, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, legislators get police protection in every other state.

“We move around late in the night a lot, and anti-social elements can take advantage. This was a justified demand that was made and I support it,” said a Congress MLA.

But do all netas need police escorts? Neta-rical — er, rhetorical — question, really. After all, what is the “power” of a politician if he is not followed by gun-wielding securitymen?

Zilch, if you believe the leaders.

VIP security review

Home minister P. Chidambaram has sought a review to scale down the number of persons enjoying VIP security without justification, a PTI report said.