From News Dispatches NEW DELHI: The deep level to which corruption in public and political life in India during the Rajiv regime, was exposed when the former minister for internal security Arun Nehru who was also Rajiv’s closest confidant and his cousin exposed an unholy nexus between the Home Minister, Buta Singh, a senior official of the Home Ministry and a Delhi based arms dealer around the time a decision on the purchase of pistols for the police force was to be taken.

Nehru who is now an opposition leader following a tiff with Gandhi is understood to have told a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team of which is investigating into the import of Czech pistols, that sensitive decisions taken by the Home Ministry at that time in regard to this purchase had been passed on by a joint secretary in the ministry to A.K. Jajodia «an arms dealer and a friend of Buta Singh.

Buta Tried To Influence

Nehru also reportedly told the CBI team that Buta Singh (who was then Minister for Agriculture) had tried to influence him into accepting the Jajodia offer for. Browning pistols which was the most expensive of the offers under consideration. While the Browning pistol was quoted at $368 a piece, the Czech pistol was priced at $240.

According to Nehru’s statement, Buta Singh had met him when the quotations from various countries were being processed and had made an attempt to persuade him to favor the Jajodias. When he (Nehru) refused to accede to this request, Buta Singh asked him to at least meet A.K.

Jajodia before taking a decision. Nehru told the CBI sleuths that he had not only refused to oblige Buta Singh and his friend but had also informed the Prime Minister of Buta Singh’s unusual interest in promoting Jajodia and the prime minister had asked him to investigate into the matter. Following this, an IB inquiry was instituted. Sensitive Decision Leaked Nehru also apprised the CBI team of how every sensitive decision taken by the Home Ministry on the import of pistols was communicated to Jajodia by a joint secretary in the ministry. so much so that around May 22, 1986 when Nehru as Internal Security Minister discussed the offers for pistols with Chiefs of Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Police (R and D) and decided in favor of “The cheapest and the best.”

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 19, 1989