Shinde cannot just dismiss the grave charges
Former Union Home Secretary RK Singh has levelled serious allegations against Union Minister for Home Affairs Sushil Kumar Shinde that neither the Minister nor the other Congress leaders can brush aside with their typical brazenness. The fact that Mr Singh is now a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party does not dilute the gravity of the charges. It must not be forgotten that the issues he has raised are specific and pertain to the period when he had served in the Union Home Ministry under Mr Shinde. Since it is also a fact that Mr Singh had often clashed with the Minister on many matters where he believed that Mr Shinde was wrong, it cannot be said that the former Home Secretary has only now, after quitting service and joining a political party, thought it expedient to hurl accusations against his former boss. Indeed, even Mr Shinde has acknowledged that he had had differences with his Home Secretary, although he has given a convenient twist to the episode without responding to the pertinent issues that Mr Singh has brought into the public domain. The two charges against the Home Minister are: He blocked Delhi Police's move to interrogate a businessman alleged to have connections with Dawood Ibrahim, in the IPl match-fixing episode. And, he routinely interfered in the postings of senior police officers in the national Capital by sending across “chits” of recommendation. Mr Singh has further added that the then Delhi Commissioner of Police had informed him of these developments. And, it goes without saying that Mr Shinde's notes of recommendation politicised appointments in the police force to a great extent. Given Mr Shinde's track record, it is not difficult to believe these allegations. Instead of concentrating on strengthening the internal security mechanisms, he has been busy in communalising policing in the country. He has shot off a letter to the Chief Ministers asking them to ensure that ‘innocent' members of the minority communities (read Muslims) are not detained or questioned by State police forces. He has also proposed a ‘review committee' to take this partisan idea forward. It is bad enough that he should interfere in policing, which is a State subject; what is worse is that Mr Shinde has been drawing a distinction among criminals on the basis of religion in a crude attempt to appease the minorities.
The former Union Home Secretary's allegations need a credible response from the Minister and his party. Until now, though, a calibrated answer to the charges has not come. Some Congress leaders have tried to dismiss the matter on the pretext that it is routine for the BJP to accuse the Congress-led regime. But the issue is not that light, as it involves matters of national security. Mr Shinde was never the right choice for the important position he holds, and the Congress rewarded him with it purely because of his allegiance to the Nehru-Gandhi family. Over the months since he took charge, he has on more than one occasion demonstrated why he is unfit for the post. The former Union Home Secretary's revelations add to the widespread and justifiable impression that the earlier Mr Shinde is eased out from the Home Ministry the better it will be for the country. We will have to wait a few months more at the most.