National

‘One Can Be In Cahoots With CIA, Not BJP’

The ex-IB director answers Digvijay Singh's charge of orchestrating the attacks on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in league with the BJP

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‘One Can Be In Cahoots With CIA, Not BJP’
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After Arvind Kejriwal exposed the Robert Vadra-DLFf deals, Congress leader Digvijay Singh charged ex-IB director Ajit Doval of orchestrating the attacks on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in league with the BJP. Doval sets the record straight in a chat with S.N.M. Abdi. Excerpts:

Digvijay says you are hand-in-glove with RSS swayamsevak S. Gurumurthy and Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy in defaming the Nehru-Gandhi family...

I have no comment to offer. But I might at an opportune time have a debate with him on a public forum.

Have you ever met Digvijay?

Never in my life. I was in Delhi mostly during 37 years of government service while he was in Madhya Pradesh. We’ve never interacted on a personal or professional level. I have nothing against him. We never had a problem with one another.

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So, are you hurt by his charge of you being in cahoots with BJP? He says the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), of which you are the director, is a BJP front run by intelligence officials and RSS swayamsevaks.

How can I be in cahoots with the BJP? One can be in cahoots with the ISI or CIA. BJP is a mainstream party like the Congress or SP. Can anyone say Natwar Singh was in cahoots with the Congress? The level public discourse has sunk to is disturbing. Don’t forget I’m the highest decorated officer.

But are you a BJP man?

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I was made director of IB by the Congress government. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv have written excellent things about me in my career records. The Congress sent me abroad for 12 years, BJP sent me to Kashmir! I’ve publicly championed Chidambaram’s counter-terrorism policy which BJP state governments vehemently oppose.

Does VIF meddle in domestic politics?

It’s an intellectual forum for pondering over strategic and security issues. But we steer clear of national politics.

But do you interact with Gurumurthy and Subramanian Swamy?

Of course I do.

Are you aware that you are under IB surveillance?

I don’t know whether I’m being watched. But IB is only doing its duty if it’s watching me—it’s the eyes and ears of the government.

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