Rajinder Kumar Dhawan, veteran Congress leader and a former Union minister passes away

Rajinder Kumar Dhawan (81), the veteran Congress leader and a former Union minister, has passed away in New Delhi on August 6, 2018. As personal secretary and confidante to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Dhawan was a witness to Indira Gandhi assassination in 1984. During his years as Indira Gandhi’s personal secretary, from 1962 to 1984, Dhawan reportedly wielded immense clout, with some claiming that he controlled information and access to the then prime minister. During the Emergency years (1975-77), Dhawan was among Indira Gandhi’s inner circle of leaders. However, Indira’s son, Rajiv, after initially removing Dhawan from his post, cleared him of all charges. He continued to retain enormous clout in the Congress even after Rajiv Gandhi’s death and was subsequently elected twice to Rajya Sabha and was a member of the Congress Working Committee. He was Minister for Urban Development when P V Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister.