Dhawan cautions Sonia against betrayal by her men

New Delhi, Nov 16: Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist and Rajya Sabha MP R K Dhawan has expressed the apprehension that stories of betrayal of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi might get repeated in case of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, saying it is the people close to the two late Prime Ministers who had betrayed them.

"Mrs Sonia Gandhi must remain cautious of the people close to her," Mr Dhawan said in an interview to Outlook Saptahik in its latest issue.

Considered to be the right hand man of Mrs Indira Gandhi, Mr Dhawan said the late Prime Minister was betrayed by the people close to her like H R Gokhale and Siddharth Shankar Ray, both of whom had testified against her in the Shah Commission.

According to Mr Dhawan, he had got an inkling to this effect even before the verdict on the poll petition against Mrs Gandhi for Rae Bareli election was to come. He had confided this to her, but "Indiraji" had dismissed it as mere suspicion, though she realised later on that Mr Dhawan was correct.

Mr Dhawan said late Rajiv Gandhi committed a mistake in making his close friends and relatives sit by his side and the same people betrayed him.

Mr Dhawan held those very people responsible for the present state of affairs in the Congress who betrayed Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi for their self aggrandisement. According to him, conspiracies start only when some party leaders considered themselves more worthy than the Congress President.

"Though Mrs Gandhi is trying hard to revive the Congress to its old glory, but some leaders close to her want to create the same situation as experienced by Mr Gandhi, as they were still working on the assumption that they would become stronger if their leader became weaker,'' he said, adding Mrs Gandhi should be cautious of such leaders.

According to Mr Dhawan, the Congress leaders were not properly highlighting before the people the efforts being made by Mrs Gandhi to strengthen the party. "Such leaders should realise that if sun shines, others, too, get the light."

UNI

Related Stories