Bofors: BJP to target govt in House

The BJP has decided to raise the Bofors payoffs issue in Parliament in the light of the interview of former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom, where he has indicated that then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi may have soft-pedalled the probe into kickbacks in the gun deal.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will attempt to put the Congress and the UPA on the mat during the discussion on demand for grants on defence in the upper house. The issue also came up for discussion at the party's parliamentary party meeting this morning, with members of the view that the government should not be allowed to go scot-free.

"The entire government of India at that point in time was out to save Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, including then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary party. The party is also planning to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha, though the "mode and manner" in which it will be brought up has not been decided yet.

"His (Rajiv Gandhi's) government tried to save and protect Quattrocchi, and suppress the investigations. It is clear from the interview that Rajiv Gandhi's government made all efforts to stop the probe, delay proceedings and prevent any action against Quattrocchi," Prasad said.

The alleged anomalies in a helicopter deal will also be highlighted by the BJP in Parliament.

At the parliamentary party meeting, some members also raised the issue relating to the CD controversy involving Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi saying that the party had been soft on him. Senior party leaders, however, told the members that it was the BJP pressure which had led to Singhvi stepping down from the post of chairman of the standing committee on law and justice.

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