When Sangh Parivar played ball with intelligence bureau

The book title says it all. Open Secrets: India's Intelligence Unveiled by Maloy Krishna Dhar, contains enough ammo to demolish many a carefully built reputation.

But most of what the former sleuth, who retired as a joint director of the Central Intelligence Bureau, says about leading men and women in politics, media, business, etc, has been an open secret.

The value of the book does not lie in its disclosures, for those inside the capital's power loop were already aware about the seamier side of these characters.

It lies in the affirmation by the country's top intelligence operative, no less, of what were mere suspicions about the sleazy doings of the people in question.

Whether or not Dhar breached the Official Secrets Act in reproducing the official dossiers is a question for the authorities to consider, but quite a few characters who have had their façade of respectability torn open by the revelations will find it hard to rebut the author.

It is for them to come forward and counter the charges. Though he has refrained from naming some of the people he writes about, it is not hard to figure out whom the cap fits.

So here are some of the nuggets regarding the Sangh Parivar which demolish the myth that it is an exceptionally disciplined, or even straight, lot.

Dhar reveals that when V.P. Singh became prime minister, Murli Manohar Joshi promoted the candidature of Rajendra Prasad Joshi as IB chief.

"Murli Manohar wanted his own man to lead the IB, an organisation that could virtually open up the treasure trove of intelligence to him, Rajendra Prasad, in his own turn, exploited the relationship to promote the interest of his prime minister.

The RSS/BJP were not aware that in his eagerness to exploit the IB, Murli Manohar was sharing consciously and subconsciously strategic information about the Hindutva organisation's forthcoming earthshaking policies" (Page 378)

This one reveals how the Reliance patriarch, the late Dhirubhai Ambani, was currying favour with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"There was no reason for the IB not to have access to the inner thinking process and the operational strategy of the Sangh Parivar. The Hindu outfit was sufficiently infiltrated by the IB.
Bombay-based industrialists close to Rajiv Gandhi had successfully cultivated a couple of RSS/BJP leaders, three of them journalists and one of the functionaries in Keshav Kunj [the regional headquarters of the RSS in New Delhi]."

"Two of the journalists [namely Balbir Punj and Dinanath Mishra] were admitted to the Rajya Sabha during the BJP regime. I am unable to disclose the name of the Keshav Kunj functionary due to certain constraints, but he enjoyed a top position.

"One of the industrialists [read Dhirubhai Ambani] was personally very close to a parochial chauvinist leader of Maharashtra [read Shiv Sena boss Bal Thackeray]. The Delhi office of the industrialist [Ambani] was in constant touch with Rajiv Gandhi and supplied him vital intelligence on the Sangh Parivar".

Postings and politicians

With the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, refusing to assert his authority in the matter of postings and transfers, the field is wide open for assorted Congressmen and ministers to exploit this all-important power to their own advantage.

Thus it is that for all key appointments, senior bureaucrats invariably approach senior Congress leaders widely considered as part of the 10 Janpath coterie.

At least two powerful party general secretaries not only insist on foreknowledge about the impending official-level changes but inevitably they also put a call to the officers concerned informing them about their new posts.

That way they not only manage to convey their clout with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) but also collect IOUs from the bureaucrats concerned.

A matter of trust, this?

Textiles Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela is so keen to retain the services of a particular Gujarat cadre officer that despite the PMO nixing the proposal, the said officer continues to function as his PS.

Neither the Gujarat Government has released the said officer for a central deputation nor has the PMO cleared his posting as the Minister's aide.

However, unfazed Vaghela persists with the officer as his Man Friday. Small wonder they are beginning to espy something ulterior in this Minister-PS nexus.

By Virendra Kapoor, Special to Gulf News 12-02-2005, The writer is a well-known columnist.