National Security Advisor Ajit Doval did not attend a political meeting at Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s house on January 14, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday, responding to allegations by the Tripura state unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), PTI reported.
On Monday, the CPI(M) had asked the Election Commission of India to look into why Doval was attending a Bharatiya Janata Party’s meeting. The CPI(M) referred to media reports that said Doval attended a meeting of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders to discuss the elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. “If correct, this is a shocking violation of norms and serious misconduct,” the party had said in a statement.
The ministry said, “There is a well-established practice of Home Ministry holding regular morning meetings to review national security and public order.” These meetings, the ministry added, are attended by senior members of the internal security establishment, The Indian Express reported.
The ministry said Doval and a few other officials were a part of one such meeting on January 14 at Rajnath Singh’s house. “These officials didn’t participate in any other meeting at HM [home minister’s] residence on that day,” the statement said.
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