Net Exclusive: Romesh Sharma

Stories on Romesh Sharma in the media have been endless. Of these, one of the most talked about is that that like most gangsters of his era, Sharma got political protection for his mafia operations. Unfortunately, this is absolutely untrue. This amazing crime czar—from a small village and poor family in Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh—was a combination of astute businessman, ruthless criminal-turned-politician, which, with the help of the Indian democratic system, he turned into a criminal enterprise and then become a system in itself.

Otherwise how does one explain his phenomenal growth from a penniless vagabond on the footpaths of Delhi’s Sadar Bazar to a man worth over Rs 200 core with plush property in Delhi’s Mayfair Gardens and Juhu in Mumbai. Name any VIP worth his weight in town and Sharma has or had links with him. Two thick dossiers seized by the Special Task Force (STF) comprising the Delhi Police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Union Home Ministry from his Mayfair Garden residence unravelled a graphic picture of all those who patronised him during the past five years.

Whether it was former prime ministers, Union ministers, chief ministers, numerous politicians, bureaucrats, journalists or artists, all made a beeline to his house. It will take the STF at least two months to figure out the purposes of these visits. His connections in the corporate world are also phenomenal. One of the most important is his association with V Balasubramaniam, president of Reliance Industries Ltd (Delhi operations)—one of India’s premier industrial houses.

Ironically, there is no official explanation till date on how this "over-world don", whose house was raided by Income Tax authorities in April 1989 in Mumbai and complaints against whom have been pending with the police about his nefarious activities, was provided with "Y" category security cover.

That Sharma was desperate for getting police security as early as in 1988 became clear when the Delhi Police found from its records a copy of a letter written by Chintamani Panigrahi, then minister of state for home affairs. Panigrahi wrote demi-official letters on March 8, 1988 to then Delhi Lieutenant Governor H L Kapur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh and Maharashtra chief minister S B Chavan asking them to provide security cover to Sharma, general secretary of the All India Kaumi Ekta Committee, E-41, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi. It was pointed out by Panigrahi that Sharma’s office in Mumbai was attacked by goons in February 1988 and, therefore, he be provided with protection. Panigrahi also said that Sharma had been attacked in Allahabad in 1987 and January 1988. Strangely, in a statement to India Today, Panigrahi denied that he was ever a minister of state for home affairs in 1988. However, a copy obtained by this magazine reveals the contrary.

Incidentally, the E-41, Panchsheel Park house belongs to Sudarshan Agrawal who was then the secretary-general of the Rajya Sabha. Sharma took the house from Agrawal on rent and later refused to move out. Agrawal with his contacts in places which matter finally was able to get rid of him. The Mumbai Police did not give him protection even though numerous complaints were registered against Sharma for grabbing properties at Royal Turner Road in Juhu and elsewhere. The police was also aware that he was closely associated with mafia don Vardarajan Mudaliar alias Varda. Sharma’s involvement in grabbing prime properties and a raid by the Income Tax Department led to a furore in the Maharashtra Assembly then.

However, the saga continued. In 1990-91, Subodh Kant Sahay, who was minister of state for home affairs during the Chandra Shekhar government, again provided him with security cover. This security cover continued even during P V Narasimha Rao’s regime for over a year. Sahay points out that in view of the disturbances in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, he received several such requests and directed the authorities accordingly. He did not know Sharma personally and it was for the Delhi Police to verify the facts and decide on whether security needed to be provided or not.

P N Sukul, a member of the Rajya Sabha, raised the Sharma issue in the House on May 4, 1989 and wanted the government to make a statement. But he was interrupted by Ram Avdhesh Singh of the Opposition saying that he was in his party once and the uproar that ensued drowned the issue. Sukul clarified that he had been expelled from the party for his activities. Thus, finding the Mumbai turf too hot, Sharma packed his bags and moved back to the Capital.

It was in Delhi that Sharma’s political ambitions got a fillip. Though he had moved to Mumbai from Delhi during 1977-78 and became a property dealer and part of Vardu’s gang, he joined the Socialist Party of Raj Narain. Later, he switched over to the Lok Dal and presented a car to late Charan Singh for party work. After the fall of the Charan Singh government, Sharma took advantage of his Phulpur connections and became close to J N Mishra, an IAS officer and private secretary to Indira Gandhi. It was then that Sharma joined the Congress. However, the Maneka-Mrs Gandhi feud led to Mishra’s ouster from the PMO. Mishra joined the Rashtriya Sanjay Vichar Manch, a political outfit floated by Maneka in 1982. Sharma tagged along and joined the manch and became its general secretary. This was the first political office that Sharma held. Sources allege that he paid Rs 2 lakh to the party fund to fight the Indira Congress.

Maneka Gandhi, currently Welfare Minister in the Vajpayee government, however, feigns ignorance about Sharma asking "was he really a general secretary." Later, she explained he had been brought to her by one Sujatullah, a lawyer, for admission into the party since he had been expelled from Charan Singh’s Lok Dal. "But I am sure you know what Sharma did to me later at the behest of Rajiv? Can you imagine, he expelled me from the Rashtriya Sanjay Vichar Manch," she counters.

According to reliable sources, D P Tripathi who was close to Rajiv Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted to weaken Maneka and persuaded Sharma to desert her to join the Congress. Mrs Gandhi was also hell bent on teaching Maneka a lesson and Sharma was a prize catch.

Sharma flourished during the Congress regime. He was made secretary of the All India Kisan Cell when late Ram Chandra Vikal was its chairman sometime in 1986-87. Sushil Kumar Shinde was general secretary in charge of the frontal organisations. Shinde who was AICC general secretary in 1987 said he did not recall that Ram Chandra Vikal and Sharma were office-bearers of the Kisan cell of the party. "All these cells were defunct after 1982 and non-functional. In any case, Vikal had joined the BJP later and I don’t recall all the names of the office-bearers. Sharma was not at all connected with the Kisan cell."

However, Sharma couldn’t manage to become an AICC delegate from Allahabad despite his clout. The IT raids at his Mumbai house in April 1989 had created further complications for him and he withdrew backstage for sometime. With the change of guard at the Centre and the advent of the Chandra Shekhar regime, Sharma resurfaced. He got his security cover. However, he remained in the Congress and became an AICC delegate, attended the Tirupati session, even sitting on the dais.

It is said that due to the support given by Mahabir Prasad, president of the UPCC, he was inducted into the PCC as a first time delegate from Amroha in Moradabad district. It is also stated that he was close to the political adviser to the then Congress president. So influential was the man that to accommodate him, the quota of AICC members from Moradabad district was raised to four from three. However, Sharma failed to get any position in either the AICC or anywhere else. Sharma’s efforts to get a Lok Sabha ticket also came to naught.

Realising that his political career was falling apart, which was crucial as a cover for his other alleged activities, he decided to quit the Congress and contest as an Independent from Phulpur. He lost his deposit and polled less than 500 votes though he campaigned in a Bell helicopter which he rented from H Suresh Rao. Even after he lost the election, Sharma decided to keep the helicopter with him which ultimately led to his downfall. His clout grew with the emergence of the United Front government. He got the helicopter registered with the Director-General of Civil Aviation within two days in his name, a procedure which normally takes months.

His proximity to former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is now a fact with the CBI’s Patna branch finding evidence that Yadav’s office booked rooms for his stay at Maurya Hotel on three occasions in 1997-98. Yadav used to be a regular at parties organised by Sharma at his Jai Mata Di farmhouse in Satbari in Mehrauli.

Interestingly, investigations by the crime branch of the Delhi Police have revealed that Sharma acquired the Mehrauli farmhouse from Congress MP M K Subba. It is said that Subba offered his farmhouse to him at a throwaway price in lieu of partnership in the proposed Disneyland in Haryana which then Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was planning to construct.

THE DUBAI CONNECTION

Sharma is refusing to tell the CBI who was instrumental in helping him make the passport of Ameena Begum Keskar, mother of Dawood Ibrahim. He says it was his press secretary Arvind Bali who secured the passport for Dawood’s mother so she could go to Dubai. Bali has been since been arrested and handed over to the CBI, to whom the case has been referred. Ameena could not have used her own passport with the Mumbai address because of the countrywide red alert.

Ameena stayed in a South Delhi house belonging to a top industrialist (not Reliance), Pashupatiya. Ameena gave this address to avoid verification in Mumbai and the reason mentioned for invoking the emergency clause was the death of a close relative abroad.

The police inquiry was completed within six hours and passport made in 24 hours. An officer of the rank of deputy secretary and above is entitled to recommend the making of an emergency passport which is used for three months without verification.
Mrs L K Ponappa, IFS, was the joint secretary (passport) in July 1993 when Ameena’s passport was made. And she fled the country, never to return.

The police learnt about Ameena’s escape only after arresting Romesh Sharma and tapping his telephone. The case has been handed over to CBI.

Efforts to contact Ponappa failed. Salman Khursheed was the minister of state for external affairs then. When contacted in Lucknow, he denied the passport was made at his instance. "Neither did anyone contact me for the passport nor did I recommended," he said.

The Reliance connection
The farmhouse story