Press Statement
Remove Brajesh Mishra From PMO
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The news that the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Brajesh Mishra, had met the British Prime Minister alongwith the Hinduja brothers in June 1998, is shocking and unacceptable. It shows the deep nexus between the Vajpayee regime and the Hinduja business combine.
The Hindujas association with the Brajesh Mishra meeting with the British Prime Minister becomes all the more serious as it concerned India's nuclear policy in the wake of the Pokhran tests. The letter handed over by Brajesh Mishra dealt with this issue. The British Prime Minister's office has confirmed that the Hindujas were present at the request of the Indian government.
The Vajpayee government is responsible for a serious breach of security and elementary government procedures. The Hinduja brothers are being prosecuted for receiving kickbacks in the Bofors gun deal case. The BJP-led government is so deeply involved with the Hindujas that Brajesh Mishra who is also the National Security Adviser, does not find anything wrong in involving them in the sensitive matters of State and national security.
The whole sinister episode cannot be brushed aside. Firstly, Brajesh Mishra must be immediately removed from the posts of Principal Secretary and National Security Adviser. This is absolutely essential to restore public confidence. Secondly, such a senior official could not have taken this step without the prior knowledge and sanction of the Prime Minister. The Vajpayee government, which has refused to quit even after being implicated in the tehelka exposure, must answer how this shocking episode took place.