NEW DELHI: “Only a sick mind can level such a mean and baseless allegation. For political advantage,” This is what R.K, Dhawan officer on special duty in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat has told to a report of Nav Bharat Times in an interview while reacting to a statement by Vidya Charan Shukla, President of Madya Pradesh unit of Janta Dal and a former union minister.
Shukla had, according to a taped interview by Nav Bharat Times pointed towards Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as being involved in the assassination of her mother in law Indira Gandhi, Shukla was quoted of having told Nav Bharat Times that it was at the instance of Sonia Gandhi that Dhawan as part of the conspiracy, had ordered the redeployment of Beant Singh and Satwant Singh in the Prime Minister’s Security without obtaining the approval of India Gandhi.
Shukla also said that information about this having been mentioned in the confidential report of the Thakkar Commission was given to him by a person who had seen the report. Shukla claimed, according to Nav Bharat Times story that Dhawan had admitted in a disposition before the Thakkar Commission. When asked to elaborate Dhawan told Nay Bharat Times that when true picture of the conspiracy by some person to pull down in an illegal manner the democratically elected government would come before the country, the people will be stunned. How low power hungry and sick minded can stoop. Dhawan declined to make any further comments.
Nay Bharat Times story later quoted sources close to Dhawan as disclosing the real reason for Shukla’s personal animosity with Dhawan was known. Story stated that during the last days of Zail Singh’s tenurreas president Shukla and his associates had made a complete plan to sack Rajiv Gandhi and to appoint a new cabinet of eight persons cabinet headed by Ashok son. It was also decided according to story that after the installation of new government parliament would be dissolved and the government will function as interim government till the next election and this stage according to the story the conspirator applied pressure on Dhawan to use his good relations with the President to execute the plan and Dhawan was sent to the President for this purpose. The story disclosed that it was not this that Dhawan told the President and the plan was put off.
Shukla impartially kept waiting for a message from Rashtrapati Bhawan. Instead he received a telephone call from the personal secretary of Giani asking him to stay put the plan as Gyani has changed his mind. The story quoted the same sources saying that R.K. Dhawan refused to participate in the conspiracy and had also again won the confidence of the Prime Minister.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 7, 1989
