Sunday, September 18 2005 15:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra today (Sept 18, 2005) termed as 'absurd, imaginary and based on hearsay,' the allegations against Indira Gandhi and his brother late Lalit Narain Mishra by a former Soviet archivist that they had received money from soviet secret service, the KGB.

Mishra, younger brother of Lalit Narain Mishra, denied that Indira Gandhi and his brother had any link with the KGB and said it was an attempt to malign the former Prime Minister and Lalit babu, both of whom were not alive to deny the charge.

He, however, admitted that his brother, who was Railway Minister in Indira Gandhi cabinet was of 'left leaning' and so was Indira Gandhi and that Lalit Narain Mishra had brought the Congress close to the Communist Party of India (CPI).

"Lalit babu Indira Gandhi ke kattar samarthak the aur yeh kahna ki Congress aur communiston ne KGB se paisa liya bilkul galat hai (Lalit Babu was a staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi and the allegation that Congress and communists took money from the KGB is baseless), Mishra, a three-time Chief Minister of Bihar and currently a Janata Dal - United (JD-U) leader told PTI.

The Mitrokin archive and another book 'The State within State- KGB and its hold on Russia' has referred to the Congress and the communists taking money from the KGB.