Firebrand Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut triggered a massive controversy when he revealed that former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi used to visit Karim Lala, one of three most powerful underworld dons of Mumbai. Raut’s remark had sparked massive outrage from the Congress party following which he was forced to retract his statement. However, there appears to be more trouble in store for the Congress party.
Sundar Shekhar, the adoptive son of another Mumbai don of the time, Haji Mastan, has revealed that his father had a good relationship with leaders from the Congress party. He added that the don shared a good relationship with Shiv Sena icon Bal Thackeray as well. Sundar also confirmed that Indira Gandhi had indeed met Karim Lala in Mumbai.
#Exclusive | My father was good friends with top leaders including Bal Thackeray: Sundar Shekhar, son of Haji Mastan tells TIMES NOW’s Herman. | #SoniaMustExplain
LIVE: https://t.co/YwECz0zJBo pic.twitter.com/eodgpyNUFe
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 16, 2020
Furthermore, he called Haji Mastan a ‘Pakka Congressi’ and appeared astonished that Sanjay Raut retracted his statement. He also mentioned the names of Sushilkumar Shinde and Murli Deora as politicians with whom meetings were fixed. Shinde was the Home Minister in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet and the Leader of the House in Lok Sabha until the 26th of May, 2014.
#EXCLUSIVE | Whatever @rautsanjay61 said is true. My father was a staunch supporter of Congress (@INCIndia). I don’t know why Sanjay Raut has taken back his statement: Sundar Shekhar, Haji Mastan’s son, tells TIMES NOW’s Herman Gomes. | #SoniaMustExplain pic.twitter.com/o6sDAIyVRq
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 16, 2020
Murli Deora is the father of Congress leader Milind Deora who was a candidate for the Congress party from Maharashtra in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Murli Deora himself has been a senior leader of the Congress party and served as a Minister of Cabinet rank in the Manmohan Singh government. He has also been the Mayor of Mumbai and an elected representative in both houses of the Parliament.
Haji Mastan was a dreaded don in Mumbai who had a pact with Karim Lala and Varadarajan Mudaliar which divided Mumbai into three parts where each operated their businesses in order to avoid conflict. Together, the trio was referred to as the “three dons of Mumbai”.
