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.