Thread by @alok_bhatt

Feb 14, 1996 edition of @Outlookindia published one story of Rajesh Joshi, titled “Pawar's Time Of Reckoning”
basing it on the secret papers from Vohra Committee and alleged that then Maharashtra politician and strongman @PawarSpeaks had links with hawala agents close to Dawood

The piece started with subheading-The Nexus- & read as under:
“after the 93 Bombay blasts,@HMOIndia collected considerable information on the links b/w Cong politicians & underworld. The details of this investigation were submitted to the Vohra Committee.

The excerpts of that piece began with a laundry list under the heading “Underworld Operator Political/Bureaucratic Patronage” and listed some prominent politicians of Maha and Guj- here was that list & it named against dons the name of netas/ note where @PawarSpeaks is!

When N.N. Vohra Committee report on the criminal-politician nexus was tabled in Parliament in 1995, then Opposition, on expected lines, went after Cong, all guns blazing.

A perception that the 12-page report was incomplete and politically sensitive information had been suppressed, gained ground. However, as it happens, thanks to the pliable media, this report receded from public memory, as it arrived .....

Thankfully, some of the documents submitted to the committee by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), landed in the hands of Rajesh Joshi & were published by Outlook in its 14th Feb 1996 edition revealing shocking charges of the murky link b/w prominent politicians & underworld

As per the published article, “The @HMOIndia report alleges that there was a definite nexus between underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's associates and former Maharashtra chief minister @PawarSpeaks “

The article went further & cited @HMOIndia as mentioning “Mool Chand Shah alias Choksi—a hawala racketeer also involved in Jain case and "close to Dawood Ibrahim and gang"—had, on various occasions b/w Dec 79 & Oct 92 ,transferred or paid Rs 72 crore to @PawarSpeaks”

Outlook article said that - “many other @INCIndia leaders have also been listed as recipients of money from Shah”. It further said that @HMOIndia report stated that "b/w Dec 79 & Feb80, Choksi paid Rs 7 cr to @PawarSpeaks , which was received from an undisclosed source in West".

“It also confirms that Choksi had "developed closeness" with Dawood & his gang way back in 1980. Shah was also responsible for transferring money for "various important people of Bombay to the Middle-East and other countries for safe caching". reporter @Outlookindia

The most damning of the revelations in @HMOIndia report as published in @Outlookindia were as below. Note the names: Choksi alias Shah, Pappu Kalyani, one unnamed advocate, Tiger Memon, Isman Ghani etc and all transactions took place when @PawarSpeaks was Maharashtra CM

“Hawala operators like Choksi mentioned in the MHA report are also involved in new multi-crore Jain hawala scandal. Apart from Shah, the name of a Delhi-based hawala dealer, Shambhu Dayal Sharma alias Guptaji, figures in the report.” read here -note the last name & his portfolio

Shah was served with detention order but same was revoked for which then Maha HM got 2 cr...said @HMOIndia report- per Outlook, @HMOIndia report pointed out that revocation of Shah’s detention order “was done @ d behest of then Maha HM, Arun Mehta, a close Pawar confidant. "

But for patronage that Shah alias Choksi received from @PawarSpeaks - he would have been pushed behind bars long ago and Mumbai blasts could have been avoided... the links of this racket extended upto Chandrashekhar, Ahmed Patel and then Guj CM ChimanBhai Patel

Had @HMOIndia report, that was actually the main report, been published with Vohra Committee report , it would have led to major cleanup. Alas!

“The Vohra Committee had the info but no one in the @INCIndia wanted it to see the light of day.” & 12 page report was tabled!

I don’t know if it is preposterous to say this or not- but who knows that death of Rajesh Pilot in 2000, may have had its origin in the fact that it was @SachinPilot ‘s father who actually took that decision to probe something for which info was available from 1978 onwards!

If I had ears of @SachinPilot , I wud tell him to leave everything & work on the legacy of his dad with singular focus of pushing for making public report and material, that his father had sanctioned authoring...will be a huge service to India & his late dad- who was a good neta!