By Manmohan Dhar
Bofors is going to haunt Congress and particularly the Gandhi family for quite a long now. Because, what was thought to be laid to rest has been brought to life by the incumbent government at the center.
The Bofors scandal was a major political scandal of a very big magnitude. The parties involved in the scandal were India and Sweden.
Congress party politicians, and various other members of the Indian and Swedish governments were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors, an arms and ammunition company of Sweden through a bank.
The scandal relates to illegal kickbacks paid in a US$1.4 billion deal between the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors with India for the sale of 410 howitzer field guns, and a supply contract which would be fulfilled in future and which was almost twice that amount.
It was the biggest arms deal ever in Sweden.The Swedish company paid ₹640 million (US$9.9 million) in kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials.
A deal which was made by compromising the country’s image and interest, was struck with the help of an Italian middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi, who was very close to the Gandhi family and played a pivital role in sealing the deal with the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors.
After the scandal got revealed, Bofors got blacklisted by the Indian Government in the year 1987. Which meant that no further arms deal could be entered into, with Bofors.
Though the Swedish government was taken into confidence in solving the Mistry of the scandal to find out as to who were the main culprits who received kickbacks from the Swedish arms manufacturer. But unfortunately the Bofors scandal which hurt every citizen of the country, got hushed up, by the subsequent Congress Governments at the center. And whatever less time was there for the non Congress Governments, was not sufficient to get to the facts of the case, as there was another country involved in the process of investigations.
“Why now”, is the question most of the Congress top brass politicians are raising and they are also ridiculing the Government’s move to revisit Bofors. Rahul Gandhi who is not in a mood to talk about Bofors after 30 years, as he put it, termed it to be yet another futile exercise for another 30 years. Because, perhaps according to him, the investigations which have been intiated by the Modi Government, are baseless. And the manner in which he seems to be reacting to all this, speaks of his political inability to behave like a true citizen of a great country. Evenhis mother and the Congress party president,zaroor Sonia Gandhi also wants that Bofors should no longer be talked about now.
Anyways it may be recalled that Indian government, in collaboration with the Swedish government, which has agreed to furnish all concerning documents and details, in support of fact finding of Bofors, has made it amply clear that whosoever has received kickbacks and has betrayed the country and has misused the highest Temple of democracy, the Parliament, to cover the biggest arms deal scandal, will be brought to book and punished, howsoever long it may take. Authorities have very rightly said that no one is going to be pardoned, even if he would have been holding the highest post of even a prime minister for that matter, at that point in time.
It has been the biggest betrayal with the countrymen and country had to pay a big price and has also suffered the most, just because some influencial politicians, bureaucrats and army personnel took the advantage of their positions simply to make huge assets for themselves and even for their subsequent generations, at the cost of country’s image, integrity and above all the national security.
How can one do it to his own country.
How Ugly….
And they plead…….”Why now”
They should be ashamed of themselves.
A true nationalist would be proud of what the Government is doing in it’s persuit to bring the culprits to book.
But why they say “Why”
Well!! Everybody knows,” Why”.