Mumbai: Amidst controversial statement that former PM Indira Gandhi had met gangster Karim Lala, another Mumbai gangster Haji Mastan’s son Sundar Shekhar yesterday said many Congress leaders like Murli Deora and Sushilkumar Shinde would meet his ‘baba’.
“Baba was a pucca Congressi. I remember senior Congress leaders like Vasantdada Patil, Murli Deora and Sushilsumar Shinde meeting him,” said Shekhar.
Wondering why Raut had changed his statement on Thursday, Shekhar said: “Small leaders would meet Haji Mastan at a hotel in central Mumbai while big leaders would meet at a five-star hotel in south Mumbai,” while at times Haji Mastan would go to Delhi too, TOI reported.
Haji Mastan’s family refuted claims of Shekhar being adopted by Mastan.
Shekhar recalls Haji Mastan was in Congress until 1984 and left after Indira Gandhi’s death.
“But after Indira Gandhi’s death in October 1984, baba left Congress and along with Joginder Kaware founded Dalit Muslim Suraksha Mahasangh in 1985”.
“I remember Ramdas Athavale (RPI leader) would stand outside the room while baba and Kaware held meetings,” he recalled adding, “both Muslims and Dalits ditched him and he changed his party’s name to Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh which has its office near JJ Hospital.”
Mastan Mirza(1926-1994) along side Karim lala and Varadarajan Mudalir dominated smuggling and allied rackets in the city between the sixties and eighties.
Later, Mirza diversified into film financing and real estate. He was seen as a style icon for flaunting his extravagant lifestyle, white Mercedes car, expensive gold watches.