Terming the withdrawal of the Red Corner Notice against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi as the “most despicable” example of misuse of the CBI by the Congress-led UPA Government, UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday demanded immediate revocation of the CBI’s order, giving a clean chit to the Bofors scam accused. Addressing a press meet, the BSP chief said, “The writing on the wall is clear for the Congress that it is not coming back to power, so there seems to be a mad rush to give clean chits to the cronies of the UPA before the government is voted out of office.Quattrocchi’s name prominently figured in the Bofors scam and the revocation of the Red Corner Notice issued by the Interpol should be seen in this context.”

Samajwadi Party

The Samajwadi Party said, “The UPA Government should come clean of this controversy. This action of the government has vindicated our charge that the CBI is being used by the Centre against its political rivals. State president of the SP Shivpal Singh Yadav said that right from the days when the Bofors scam was exposed, the Congress-led governments have been protecting Quattrocchi.

Janata Dal (united)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said, “The removal of Quattrocchi’s name from the list of persons wanted in the Rs 64-crore Bofors kickback case raises serious suspicions about the way the top investigating agency of the country is being used by the present government at the Centre.” “Whatever has been done carries no credibility and has failed to address the suspicions being voiced in the media and elsewhere regarding the case for the last several years,” he said.

People’s democratic party

Jammu and Kashmir’s main opposition People’s Democratic party (PDP) on Tuesday said the role of the CBI has been undermined as it has not been able to find anything substantial in the Bofors case. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said, “The CBI is no longer an autonomous agency. The problem with the agency is that it carries on investigation for years together and then at the final stage it doesn’t give any conclusive report. The agency makes stop-gap arrangements and resorts to arm-twisting. In the sex scandal, there is no final chargesheet. Even when the BJP was in power at the Centre it didn’t find anything substantial in the Bofors scam.”

National Conference

Congress’s ally National Conference refused to be dragged into the Quattrocchi controversy. “My government has nothing to do with the investigation. On behalf of the NC, only party president Farooq Abdullah can speak,” said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. However, even the NC president, who had earlier on March 14 last year at the India Today conclave said that he doesn’t believe in the Bofors charges and why would have Rajiv Gandhi needed Rs 64 crore when “entire India was at his feet”, too didn’t offer any reaction. “Who is Ottavio Quattrocchi. I don’t know anything about the case,” he said.

Akali dal

Deputy CM and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "The CBI has reduced itself to an agency of the Congress. It's unfortunate that after a clean chit to Tytler, the CBI has done the same in the Quattrocchi case. The Congress has probably accepted defeat." "This has been done to tie loose ends. Even on the Tytler issue, the Congress was afraid that he might spill the bean which could embarrass the party," he added.