Home minister S. Shinde lying about FBI help to catch Dawood

New Delhi –  Former home secretary RK Singh, who recently joined the BJP, has accused Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde of lying about the US offering help to bring wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim to India.

Mr Singh, who is tipped to contest the national election as a BJP candidate from Bihar, attacked the home minister’s claims that the American attorney general, under whom the FBI works, assured all help to bring Dawood to book, when Mr Shinde visited the US.

“Even if an agency belonging to another country agrees to help us in a mission on a third country’s soil, this should not be made public. The FBI has made no such commitment, at least as long as I was there. Dawood is in Pakistan, under ISI’s protection and to say he will be arrested with the help of FBI is ridiculous,” he said on Tuesday.

Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in several cases by India, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

Mr Singh reportedly had differences with the home minister on several issues until he retired in June. After joining the BJP last week, he has unholstered a series of allegations against his former boss.

The former home secretary has accused Mr Shinde of shielding a businessman close to Dawood Ibrahim and preventing the Delhi Police from interrogating him in connection with match-fixing in the Indian Premier League. He also alleges that the minister regularly interfered with police work and took money for cop postings.

The Congress has accused of Mr Singh of “shocking opportunism.”

“Is it not a fact that he tried to get a post-retirement position from the UPA? Is it not a fact that he approached Nitish Kumar for a position?” tweeted Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, questioning why Mr Singh did not bring these allegations to the notice of the cabinet secretary or the Prime Minister.

“His charges are extremely serious and and if he kept quiet then he is guilty also of not fulfilling his assigned responsibility. Shocking!”