'Hindujas accompanied Brajesh to Downing Street'

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, MAY 7. In a development which is likely to embarrass New Delhi, it has emerged that the controversial Hinduja brothers - Mr. Gopichand and Mr. Srichand - accompanied the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee's Principal Secretary, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, when he visited Downing Street in June 1998 to hand over to the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, a letter from Mr.Vajpayee explaining India's position on its nuclear test that summer.

The meeting, which took place on June 4 ahead of a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in Geneva was meant, it is stated, to seek Britain's intervention in getting the United States to soften its reaction to the nuclear tests. The role of the Hinduja brothers is disclosed in a letter, quoted in the British media today, which Mr. Srichand Hinduja wrote to Mr. Blair's Chief of Staff, Mr. Jonathan Powell, early on June 4. The letter said ``Gopichand and I, with our Indian friend look forward to seeing the Prime Minister later this morning. Our friend will have with him a letter from the Indian Prime Minister to give to Mr. Blair.''

Downing Street has confirmed the meeting at which Mr. Mishra handed over Mr. Vajpayee's letter to Mr. Blair but made it clear that the Hindujas were present ``at the request of the Indian Government.'' Downing Street's clarification was in response to the Tories' charge that Mr. Blair had concealed this meeting from the Hammond Inquiry into the Hindujas' links with politicians. Observers found it odd that a senior Indian government representative, carrying a personal communication from the Prime Minister should have found it appropriate to be escorted by the Hinduja brothers at a time when they were being investigated in India in a major corruption scandal. They recalled that at that time, Mr. Srichand Hinduja was trying to get a British passport in an attempt to avoid extradition in the Bofors case.

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