Synopsis
Chitra Subramaniam reveals in an interview that the Rajiv Gandhi administration was involved in a significant coverup regarding the Bofors arms deal scandal. She discusses the implications of this scandal on India's reputation and the unanswered questions about the Gandhi family’s involvement.Key Takeaways
- Rajiv Gandhi's administration covered up the Bofors scandal.
- Investigation revealed no direct financial link to PM Gandhi.
- Subramaniam highlights the corruption's impact on India's image.
- The scandal raised questions about the Gandhi family's connections.
- Misogyny faced by Subramaniam during her investigation was significant.
New Delhi, March 17 (NationPress) The administration of Rajiv Gandhi was implicated in a significant coverup concerning the Bofors arms deal scandal. Although Swedish investigators have found no evidence linking the then Prime Minister to a financial trail, the involvement of his family remains a mystery, according to journalist Chitra Subramaniam.
"To be fair, it was a substantial coverup... at all levels, it involved the dismantling of the judiciary... keep in mind the mandate he (Rajiv Gandhi) had... even the army was affected... every time we sing patriotic songs, we forget the soldiers who endure harsh conditions... have you considered what they face, and then you label them negatively... you undermine the army," Subramaniam, who dedicated over a decade to investigating the scandal, stated in an interview with IANS.
"What saddened me during the contract process was the expectation of a manufacturing contract. The vision was to first procure the guns and subsequently produce them domestically. All of that was destroyed."
Subramaniam, author of "Boforsgate: A Journalist’s Pursuit of Truth", details her investigation and its ramifications on her personal and professional life, claiming the scandal tarnished the country's reputation and that of the then Prime Minister.
She reminisces about discovering the scandal when a colleague shared an agency report referring to it as problematic for "Mr Clean", the moniker attributed to Rajiv Gandhi.
"It was damaging (to India's reputation)... it continues to resonate. While corruption is one issue, how shameless are we? This was a Prime Minister who rose to power under tragic circumstances, promising to cleanse the nation of corruption linked to arms dealers. That promise was severely undermined," she remarked.
"I still harbor ambitions... I was very hopeful for India, just as he (Rajiv Gandhi) was, and I believe you don't need to hold political power to be ambitious. Yet, all of that fell by the wayside. It was quite challenging for me. On one hand, I was investigating, and on the other, I faced the reality of a corrupt nation..." she expressed.
Regarding the involvement of other members of the Gandhi family, particularly in light of the connections to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, considered close to them, Subramaniam stated that this question remains unresolved.
"(Considering Quattrocchi) is Italian? Reflect on this... why would Bofors pay an Italian accountant from Naples with no ties to arms deals? He was associated with the petrochemical sector."
"Why then would they make payments, and why would the contract with AE Services, linked to him (Quattrocchi), state that if I fail to secure your contract by March, you aren't obliged to pay me? This indicates what Sten (her Swedish source, later identified as police chief Sten Lindstrom) referred to as a political payment."
"A political payment entails having all the figures laid out, and a significant individual arrives to take the funds... and no one can object. This wasn't the case for Win Chadha or the Hindujas... But the political payment was effective for just three months, 90 days. So, consider this question?" she challenged.
In her book, Subramaniam also includes a 2012 interview with Lindstrom, where he disclosed his identity and stated there was definitive evidence against Quattrocchi, who received bribes from Bofors into his account, which he could access since India did not prosecute him, and "no one in Switzerland or Sweden was permitted to interrogate him".
Subramaniam pointed out the misogyny and character attacks she encountered during her investigation, which spanned from Switzerland to Sweden, during which Rajiv Gandhi also dismissed her dismissively.
"Mr. Rajiv Gandhi remarked to Vir Sanghvi about 'that girl in Switzerland producing photocopies,'" Subramaniam shared with IANS.
