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The new revelations on the 25-year-old Bofors case led to disruptions in both the Houses of Parliament. While the BJP and the Left parties demanded a “reopening” of the case, the Congress said irresponsible politics is being played by the Opposition over a “dead issue.”
The Opposition had given notices in both the Houses to discuss the statements made by former Swedish police chief Mr Sten Lindstorm in an interview. During the zero hour, the Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha, Mr Arun Jaitley, raised the issue and said there were attempts to bury the case. In Lok Sabha, Mr Jaitley's senior party colleague, Mr Jaswant Singh, said Bofors is a saga of continuing corruption.
The CPI (M), SP and the JD (U) also joined the Opposition leaders in criticising the Congress-led government over the issue. “There were repeated efforts to cover up. The pace of investigation varied with the colour of the political government in power. We gave a whole burial to the case,” Mr Jaitley said. Countering Mr Jaitley, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar of the Congress said the Opposition is running a campaign based on falsehood.
The CPI (M) leader, Mr Sitaram Yechury, said the issue needs to be reopened. Mr Mohan Singh of the Samajwadi Party also approved the stand. Later talking to reporters, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress is worried of taking the name Ottavio Quattrocchi, the alleged middlemen in the Bofors deal. “We are worried to see the attitude of Congressmen in both the Houses,” Mr Prasad said. He said Ms Gandhi should explain why the Congress has problem in mentioning the name of Quattrocchi. “Sonia Gandhi is being tested against the benchmarks of her own assurances to the people on fighting corruption,” Mr Prasad added.
The Congress said it's time to move on from the controversy. “Is it necessary to draw the entire country and Parliament to a debate on a statement made by a retired police officer of another country? The Indian legal judiciary has already made its positions clear on the issue,” the chief Congress spokesperson, Mr Janardan Dwivedi, said.
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