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Few friends for Narasimha Rao now

October 12, 2000
1350 hours IST
Vigyan Bhavan
Former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and former cabinet colleague Buta Singh have just been sentenced to three years' rigorous imprisonment in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha bribery case by Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke.

There is a flurry of activity on the lawns in front of the magnificent Vigyan Bhavan, as the Central Bureau of Investigation counsel make their statement to the press. A Delhi police battalion finds it almost impossible to control the crowd, as the counsel and petitioner Ravindra Kumar shout out in victory.

Vigyan Bhavan has almost been converted into a fortress, with tight security, as hundreds of policemen are posted along the road leading to Vigyan Bhavan and, of course, inside it.

In fact, when the policemen tried to keep back the crowd and asked Kumar and the counsel to keep the excitement down, the former yelled out, "Look, the Delhi police is towing the Rao line. They don't want us to speak against him -- they want to support Rao and safeguard his reputation."

Seeing that the matter could get out of hand if the counsel were not allowed to make their statements, the police let Kumar and his men to get their share of the limelight.

The former prime minister and Buta Singh are still in the building, in a desperate attempt to avoid the media glare. Conspicuous by their absence were Congress bigwigs, who were busy at the Congress headquarters attending a meeting of the economic affairs committee.

The only 'friends' who turned up were former supercop K P S Gill, long-time associate Chandraswami with Mamaji in tow and M S Bitta. Once the sentence was pronounced, Rao and Buta rushed off to their residences, accompanied by a battery of security personnel and Black Cats.

Chandraswami quickly drove out in his Tata Safari, even as Mamaji walked towards his car in the parking lot. Claiming that the "punishment was welcome to the Congress, because it was only to save the nation", Bitta drove off to meet Rao at his residence.

1430 hours IST
6, Motilal Nehru Marg
Former prime minister Narasimha Rao's residence
The black Mercedes Benz with Rao's counsel Ayub Khan and R K Anand comes to a halt in front of the gates, guarded by police and Black Cats.

Chandraswami's Tata Safari is parked outside.

Bitta walks into the reception, all smiles. Says Bitta, "Oh, there is nothing to worry about. Raoji is not worried at all. In fact, the mood is much better than it ever was."

Manmohan Singh has just driven past Bitta into the Rao residence and the gates slam shut once again. There is hardly any activity outside.

The receptionist seems uninterested with media persons outside.

There is hardly anything to excite them. Aren't there anymore Congress leaders coming in? The receptionist says, "Bitta and Manmohan Singh is all that we have for the moment. They might be still at the Congress HQ."

1500 hours IST
24, Akbar Road
Congress headquarters
The gates are half shut and a disinterested guard lets our car in. The place is almost deserted, but for sweepers and the receptionist.

The executive rooms are locked and corridors empty.

At the far end, in the media centre, Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi, sits on a red sofa, watching television. He does not look worried. In fact, he smiles as he looks around and orders the office boy to get him lunch.

" Jaldi lao bhai, bahut bhook lagi hai," he says. "We really have not formulated an official reaction," he says, and smiles.

"Looks like both L K Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee got their way. The former got the sentence in place while the latter did his bit with bail," he adds and returns to the TV. Almost as a soliloquy, Jogi says, "End of the road for Rao?"

Congress leader Salman Khursheed walks in and asks Jogi, "So, what is your official reaction?" Jogi says, "We haven't decided. I want to see what other parties are saying before we give our statement." And then the duo goes on to discuss Khursheed's recent holiday in Uttar Pradesh, where Dassera is celebrated in a unique way.

As we make an exit, Congress general secretary Madhavrao Scindia gets off his car. Reaction? "Oh, has the sentence been passed? I am not aware of it. Actually, I am just back from lunch. Let me just go in and see what has happened."

Is that all former prime minister Narasimha Rao gets from his colleagues?

1530 hours IST
9, Lodhi Estate
Buta Singh's residence
Absolute silence. There are 15 men seated on a sofa in the living room. All in utter silence, as if it was a funeral. "Butaji is sleeping," says one of them. There is some activity on the lawns, as Buta's relatives discuss something animatedly. A lady walks past, carrying clothes from the clothesline. Buta Singh is tired and does not wish to be disturbed, she says.

The JMM bribery case: The full coverage

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