A top aide of Rajiv Gandhi spoke in contradictory voices about the Bhopal gas tragedy, first ruling out the late prime minister's involvement in the sudden release of former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson and later hinting that he may have had a role.
Former Maharashtra Governor P C Alexander, who was former Principal Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi, said Anderson's name never came up in an early morning meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) convened by Gandhi to discuss the Bhopal gas tragedy. Alexander also said senior Congress leader Arjun Singh, then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was present in the CCPA, though a chief minister was not part of the Committee. "I cannot say whether the decision (of allowing Anderson to leave India) was taken by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi or Singh... but Anderson's name never came up... there was not a single occasion when his name came up in the CCPA" which was held at 3 am to discuss the next course of action in the gas tragedy, he said.
Asked whether Arjun Singh had let Anderson off without getting any clearance from the Centre, Alexander, who resides here, said "I cannot
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