BHOPAL: The arrest of Mohammed Anwar alias “Russi Pathan,” an underworld don from Bhopal, has led to a war of words between the supporters of two Central ministers. Russi Pathan was arrested by the Bombay Police in Bhopal on March 14 in connection with the bomb blasts that rocked Bombay.

Sunil Sharma, State Organizing Secretary of the Youth Congress, through the advertisement, claimed that Vidya Charan Shukla had won the hearts of Muslims by attending an Iftar party in Bhopal.

Interestingly, Sharma had posted the Iftar that Shukla, accompanied by Russi Pathan, had attended in Bhopal on March 13.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders have sought Shukla’s resignation from the Central Cabinet on “moral grounds.” Former Law Minister Babulal Gaur, in a statement, alleged that Shukdaand Russi Pathan were very close to each other, If on moral grounds Shukla did not quit the Union Cabinet, then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao should sack Shukla from his Cabinet, urged Gaur, Former Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa was tightlipped on the issue.

BJP MP from Vidisha, Shivraj Singh Chauhan urged Shukla to clarify his links with Russi Pathan. He also demanded that the name of the police official who got Russi Pathan’s name erased from the “surveillance list” of State police be made public.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister V.C.Shukla has denied that he had any relationship with Russi Pathan. He said in a statement that as & public figure he had occasion 10 meet a Jot of people. “Such associations do not establish any link between the two unless the politician concerned provides patron age or protection to such people,” he said. . He said Russi Pathan was present at an Iftar party arranged in Bhopal recently by State Youth Congress leader Sunil Sharma. He said he had neither moved around with Russi Pathan, nor carried the letter in his car as made out in some reports.

“Russi Pathan’s involvement in the bomb blast case is a law and order matter and is being examined by the police, I have no interest in the matter and the law will take its own course.

Article extracted from this publication >>    March 26, 1993