SCION'S DRUG OVERDOSE SHOCKS BJP

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 003880 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR SNAR IN SUBJECT: SCION'S DRUG OVERDOSE SHOCKS BJP REF: A. NEW DELHI 3857 ¶B. NEW DELHI 3835 ¶C. NEW DELHI 3471 ¶D. NEW DELHI 2873 Classified By: Acting PolCouns Atul Keshap for reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) Summary: On June 3, Rahul Mahajan, the son of recently murdered BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, was hospitalized following a suspected drug overdose. The family's private secretary, Bibek Maitra, who was with Rahul, died. On June SIPDIS 4, the private hospital treating Rahul claimed that its tests indicated that Rahul had not ingested drugs. The story quickly, unraveled, however, as another lab claimed that Rahul had taken a toxic "cocktail" of various drugs and alcohol. The BJP appears unable to speak with one voice on the incident, with some leaders calling it a "conspiracy" against the Mahajan family, and others a "personal tragedy." Many in the BJP thought the June 1 terrorist attack on RSS headquarters (Ref D) would boost its flagging political fortunes, but cynicism now runs so deep that many in the Delhi chattering classes have dismissed the attack as another "fake encounter" staged by law enforcement agencies. Rahul Mahajan's hospitalization refutes the BJP's assertion that it is a "party with a difference" and that it does not suffer from the same moral weaknesses found throughout the country's political system. End Summary. Boys Will be Boys -------------- ¶2. (U) The BJP's influential Mahajan family suffered another tragedy on June 2 when Rahul Mahajan was brought unconscious to New Delhi's Apollo Hospital, apparently the victim of a drug overdose. Rahul's hospitalization occurred only one month after his father, Pramod Mahajan's death on May 3. The elder Mahajan was shot by his own brother on April 27 (Ref D). The Mahajan family's personal secretary Bibek Moitra, who was apparently taking drugs along with Rahul, died before he could receive medical attention. Friends of Moitra who purportedly supplied the cocaine took him and Mahajan to the hospital. This episode received immediate, saturation news coverage, to the BJP's dismay. Contradictory Lab Results -------------- ¶3. (U) On June 3, Apollo Hospital Director Anupam Sibal told a press conference that their tests had found "no traces" of 14 different drugs, including cocaine, in Rahul's blood and urine. On June 4, Dr. Lal's Path Labs, an independent pathology lab, said their tests on Rahul's blood and urine revealed traces of cocaine, cholinesterase, opiates, barbiturates, benzodiazipine, cannabinoids and alcohol, indicating that the two men had ingested a lethal "cocktail" of narcotic substances and alcohol. Some press reports also indicated that hospital attendants found heroin in Moitra's pocket when his body was brought in for post-mortem. The police have stated that they could "not determine" the cause of Moitra's death and that Rahul, who is now expected to make a complete recovery, remains "medically unfit" to make a statement. The BJP Can't Speak Straight -------------- ¶4. (U) Rahul's maternal uncle, Gopinath Munde, is an influential BJP leader in Maharashtra. Within hours of Rahul's hospitalization, Munde asserted that his nephew had NEW DELHI 00003880 002 OF 003 been "poisoned," and later cited the Apollo Hospital lab results as evidence. The news media at first accepted this explanation, although the story quickly fell apart. Influential BJP leaders were reluctant to support Munde and appeared to be at loggerheads on how to handle the incident. On June 4, former Prime Minister Vajpayee, said "young people do make mistakes. We will help him to take the right path," and urged the party to "come to the aid" of the Mahajan family. Another BJP leader, Sushma Swaraj, was far more circumspect. Saying, "everything should not be linked to the party," she described the incident as a "personal tragedy of the Mahajan family." Swaraj claimed that Leader of the Opposition LK Advani shared her view. Evidence of Spreading Rot -------------- ¶5. (U) Anonymous sources from within the party were far more self-critical, calling the incident "shock therapy" for a party in which "shady characters" have long enjoyed easy access to the leadership. BJP insiders told the press that Rahul's drug overdose was no surprise, as he was "unstable" and had been leading a "daring lifestyle" for some time, while Moitra was a "known substance abuser." They alleged that despite his father's stature, the party had rejected proposals to make Rahul the held of the BJP youth wing or a member of Parliament, as his unstable personality was common knowledge. Political commentator Vir Sanghvi, writing in the "Hindustan Times," said that the Mahajans had always surrounded themselves with "pimps, fixers, and tentwallahs." "Conspiracy" and "Poisoning" Ruled Out -------------- ¶6. (C) Political insiders are not buying the Munde accusations regarding poisoning and anti-BJP conspiracies. Most see the contradictory lab reports as signs of political tampering with the evidence, with BJP elements the most likely culprits. Munde's enthusiastic use of the (private) Apollo findings will be viewed by many as evidence that he or others within the party used their influence and/or money to have the lab result falsified, but were apparently unaware that another, more reputable lab was conducting its own analysis. It has long been common in India for influential families to use cover-ups to protect their errant offspring. Such cover-ups are becoming more difficult, however, as the country's many competing media sources in search of a hot story are now quick to publish the facts. The media also seized on the fact that Moitra died during the long drive to Apollo Hospital even though the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was just around the corner. Another Blow to the BJP -------------- ¶7. (C) Already reeling from Pramod Mahajan's death, this latest incident has further tarnished a damaged BJP. Well-connected CNN South Asia Correspondent Satinder Bindra described the Mahajan family to Poloff as "totally dysfunctional." His sources have told him that Moitra and Rahul were drinking and taking drugs to celebrate their unexpected windfall of millions of dollars of Pramod Mahajan's concealed assets. According to Bindra, it was well-known in BJP circles that Pramod Mahajan had used his political position to accumulate the money and that his brother shot him after he refused to share the loot with the family. Calling Pramod Mahajan the brightest, most charismatic and most skilled of the BJP second tier leadership, Bindra described his loss as cataclysmic, and NEW DELHI 00003880 003 OF 003 opined that no other party leader could replace him. Even a Terrorist Attack Could Not Help? -------------- ¶8. (S) Bindra and other political insiders, including journalists, industrialists and politicians, have asserted to Poloff that the BJP expected to gain a political boost from the May 31 terrorist attack on the RSS Nagpur headquarters (Ref C). However, the expected uplift never took place, as the incident has been greeted with almost universal skepticism in the drawing rooms of Delhi. The death of the three terrorists in a four AM shoot-out with police, follows a string of suspicious terrorist attacks in which the assailants have died in a hail of gunfire without causing police casualties even as they left behind telltale clues that allow police to establish their identity within hours. Many suspect that these are nothing more than "fake encounters," in which law enforcement officers allegedly murder detained Muslims and plant their bodies at the site of "terrorist attacks. This theory is further reinforced by the terrorists' poor intel and scouting -- none of the RSS high command were even in Nagpur during the attack -- which calls into question the accuracy of NSA Narayan's report to us that this attack was to be one of "six big ones (Ref D)." One interlocutor repeated a scurrilous rumor making the rounds that the BJP and UPA worked together to stage the Nagpur attack, with both parties hoping that it would stimulate an outpouring of patriotic sentiment. He alleged to Poloff that the UPA hoped the story would bump the anti-Reservation agitation off of the front pages, while the BJP desperately needed to restore its tarnished image. Comment - Cynicism Has Reached New Heights -------------- ¶9. (C) The significance of the sensational and unsubstantiated rumors making the rounds of the chatterati is not whether they are true or not, but that they reflect the astounding level of cynicism in the country. Politicians and political parties enjoy little confidence in India and the BJP, once touted as the party with a difference, is now viewed by many as just another corrupt political outfit. The startling revelations regarding the Mahajan family and its tawdry affairs will further confirm this image and the BJP's inept attempts at damage control has only made the situation worse. Rahul Mahajan represents a decadent younger generation of Indian elites who live in an amoral world shaped by their elders' unethical pursuit of wealth and power at any cost. Four wealthy young men who took drugs with Rahul have already been arrested and could face prosecution. Although there is increasing speculation that Rahul could also be charged, if things go as they usually do, this scion of a wealthy and powerful political family, will not receive the same treatment as his less well-connected compatriots. ¶10. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) MULFORD