Moitra was Pramod’s Man Friday

MUMBAI: Vivek Moitra was more than a personal secretary to Pramod Mahajan.

Moitra, 39, was treated by Mahajan and his brother-in-law Gopinath Munde as a family member, and carried out difficult jobs for the two. His latest assignment was to groom Rahul for politics.

Moitra was closer to the Mahajan-Munde family than his own. "His parents live in Navi Mumbai, but he would stay with the Mahajans whenever he was in the city," a senior BJP leader said. In Delhi, Moitra used to stay at Mahajan’s official 7, Safdarjung Road, residence. His parents, reportedly, disapproved of his lifestyle.

Moitra started out in politics as a member of the BJP’s youth wing. He was noticed by Munde because of his organisational skills and facility with English. Munde made him personal secretary when he became deputy chief minister of Maharashtra in 1995. Later, Moitra moved to Delhi to work with Mahajan.