Giving a new twist to the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan and his son Rahul's alleged involvement in a drug abuse case, the late leader's brother Pravin Mahajan, accused of killing him, on Wednesday claimed the two incidents were inter-related.
In his first public comments after the murder, Mahajan's younger brother also asserted that he was innocent and he would "say it all in the court".
"They (the two incidents) are related. And Delhi and Mumbai police should coordinate with each other. The keys are in Hindujas (hospital in Mumbai where Mahajan succumbed to bullet injuries). If Apollo (hospital in Delhi where Rahul's reports were allegedly fudged) can do that, then Hindujas...," he told reporters while being escorted out of the court in Mumbai, which extended his judicial custody.
Alleging that the Mahajan family was now hostage to the "tentwallahs", an apparent reference to the late leader's close aide Sudhanshu Mittal, and a former personal assistant, he said former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should explain to the nation why "this thing" (the Rahul episode) happened in the high-security zone.
"This has been happening for the past five-six years.
He owes an explanation to the nation. Why is he skirting it?...it is not a family tragedy, but a national tragedy.
"It has happened in a ministerial bungalow. The prime minister stays nearby. Did the former PM know about it? If he did, what did he do? If he did not know, what was he doing in six years of rule?" Pravin asked.
Pravin, however, squarely blamed the late Pramod Mahajan for "spoiling" Rahul.
"His father did not inculcate good habits in him...he (Rahul) was made a sacrificial goat. I had told his father and bhabi (Rahul's mother) to make him fall in line. But what to do? He is a very good boy. His birthday falls next month. And I wish if I could undergo any sentence given to him. What more can I do?" he said.
"They did not give him good education. Both the people who spoiled him (Mahajan and his persoanl assistant Vivek Maitra) are no more... some outsider had not trapped him (Rahul). If a son gets spoiled, both father and mother are to be blamed," Pravin said.
Asked whether he had any regrets about allegedly killing his brother, Pravin said, "I have not done anything. When my trial begins, I will say it all and more in the court. They are inter-related. There are many reasons, you come to court."
To a question whether Maitra had played a "game", he said, "You leave all that. What can be said about a person who is dead? The details can be taken from people who are alive."