Mumbai, July 8: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was defended by arch rival Shiv Sena over allegations of inaction adopted by him in the extradition of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim. Sena came out in absolute support of Pawar, the then chief minister, saying he had little say in the matter and the central government at the time is answerable for not taking the required steps to bring back the underworld kingpin.
The party through an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna supported Pawar’s decision and termed the conditions imposed by Dawood Ibrahim as unacceptable. The editorial took a dig at late BJP leader Gopinath Munde who had made a poll promise prior to the 1995 assembly elections to bring back the fugitive Dawood to India. The saffron party criticised Munde for making a hollow promise as he was not able to extradite Dawood despite being the home minister in the 4 1/2 year term of the government. (READ: Supreme Court dismisses plea on Dawood Ibrahim)
The editorial lashed out at senior advocate Ram Jethmalani who accused Sharad Pawar for not acting over Dawood’s proposal. “The counrty’s former law minister must be knowing the law himself. It was not under the capacity of then chief minister Pawar to act on the issue. Any concrete issue could have been taken only by the central government,” the editorial said. The saffron party criticised the media for going overboard on some BJP leaders having links with the former IPL chief Lalit Modi but remaining mum on the former law minister meeting the country’s most wanted criminal. “While resignations are being demanded for meeting and helping Lalit Modi in London, nobody is taking seriously the meeting of Jethmalani and Dawood,” the editorial added.
Sena demanded the government to take immediate measures to extradite Dawood, who has been framed in the vicious 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai. Stating that the task was not very difficult, the editorial opined, “If there is a will, he can still be dragged back to India. It is not so difficult. American commandos went into Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden. They did not wait for him to surrender nor did they keep on negotiating terms with him.”
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