Congress legacy 'compromised', says BJP, brings back Bofors allegations

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday revived decades-old corruption allegations against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, describing them as evidence of a "compromised" legacy of the Congress.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched the fresh attack in response to the main opposition party's consistent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent India-US interim trade deal. The Congress has labelled the deal a "wholesale surrender" and "betrayal" of the national interest.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Rajiv Gandhi indulged in "brokerage in virtually every government allocation and contract" during his tenure as prime minister.

"Dalali (brokerage) is embedded in the DNA of the Congress. The Gandhi family did not hesitate to engage in such practices even in sensitive matters of national security," Bhatia charged, citing the Bofors scandal as a primary example.

The BJP leader claimed that while Rahul Gandhi makes baseless allegations against Modi in his social media posts, the Gandhi family itself has remained "compromised" through generations.

Citing a declassified CIA document, Bhatia claimed the Bofors investigation was suspected to have been halted in Sweden to prevent disclosures regarding bribes paid to some Indian officials. He suggested that these disclosures that could have placed then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in an uncomfortable position.

Bhatia also presented an article titled "The Curse of Money" from the foreign magazine Schweizer Illustrierte. He noted the article mentioned international figures and dictators linked to Swiss bank accounts and carried a photograph showing Rajiv Gandhi alongside Uganda's dictator Idi Amin and Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

"The money from the Bofors scandal was parked in Swiss banks, which constituted a matter of national security. The magazine speculated that approximately 2.2 billion US dollars, valued today at around Rs 20,000 crore, was held in accounts linked to Rajiv Gandhi," he added.

The BJP spokesperson further raised the Bhopal gas leak tragedy, accusing Rajiv Gandhi of facilitating the escape of Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson.

Bhatia cited former principal secretary PC Alexander, stating the responsibility for allowing Anderson to flee lay with Rajiv Gandhi and then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Arjun Singh. "It is unacceptable that the same Gandhi family is levelling baseless allegations against Prime Minister Modi," he added.

Bhatia also cited the 1984 anti-sikh riots, alleging the Congress rewarded those accused in the violence. He specifically mentioned the election of Sajjan Kumar to the Lok Sabha and the appointment of Jagdish Tytler as a Union minister.

The BJP leader also targeted the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, alleging that between 2005 and 2009, it accepted "bribes" from the Chinese government and embassy, as well as donations from Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi and Zakir Naik. PTI PK AKY AKY AKY