The Bofors saga

Read the news that the CBI was to withdraw all cases against Ottavio Quattrochi.

Just to refresh: He is an Italian businessman & the prime accused in the Bofors scandal. In 1989, the Govt purchased artillery guns (aka 155mm Howitzers) from a Swedish Gun manufacturer AB Bofors. The scam was that the company allegedly paid kickbacks (about Rs. 64 crores) through Quattrochi (who was the middleman & facilitated the sale, received about Rs. 7 crore as commission), to top Indian politicians to grab this deal. The case which was stuck in legal tangles in India & abroad for the last 20 years has already cost the exchequer a whopping 250 crore rupees! It also cost Rajiv Gandhi the general elections in 1989.

Point: It is in the best interests of our country (and above all the Congress party) to close the cases since they were not heading anywhere except footing a huge bill to the Govt. The only face saver is that the guns had proved their worth in the Kargil Conflict. Hence, it is a sensible move to bury the hatchet, avoid further embarrassment & save tax payers money.

Moral of the Story: This clearly showcases the fact that the CBI is nothing but a mock tool which is twisted & turned time & again at the hands of politicians. The Govt excessively interferes in its functioning & openly & blatantly uses it to its full advantage to get even with its adversaries. The claims that the CBI is a transparent agency are a complete hogwash. Hence, there is no point in criticizing the agency for its role. It is the Govt that should be pulled up for the drubbing. As for this case, it is quite believable that the reason Quattrochi was let off so easily was also because he was a personal friend of the Gandhi’s & being an Italian, quite close to Sonia. Hence it was only imperative & imminent that the cases against him be withdrawn.

The other side: As expected, the BJP is crying foul & accusing the Congress of betrayal. It is apparent that the party is still hanging on to the case because this is their only chance to indict the Gandhi’s (since there were accusations of Rajiv Gandhi’s involvement as well). It is also common knowledge that they could not resolve the case while in power, during AB Vajpayee’s tenure.

But the BJP is no saint. If we reverse the situation, the party would certainly replicate the actions of the Congress. What would it do if it came to power for a double term? Wouldn't it pack up all cases against all of those accused in the Godhra riots (including Narendra Modi) & Babri case???? Yes it would. Period. It may even reopen the Bofors file & get it reinvestigated.

Every party in India works only to fulfil their self-interests & shamelessly use every possible Govt machinery to their benefit. That's the reality & irony of our politics.