NEW DELHI; Now that the Prime Minister Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao has given the formal go-ahead to the investigation into the Bofors scandal the lobby which had all along opposed the inquiry is suddenly trying to be more loyal than Caesar. It functioned all these years as the veritable Congress (B) read B for Bofors and was running a state within the state from a party within the party. But now after Mr. Makhavsinh Solankis resignation and the Prime Ministers tough stance it must change its tune publically at least.
Mr P. Chidambaram commerce minister and the star of the Rajiv circle is now saying that the investigation must continue and that the message was sent to the Swiss authorities on Wednesday by way of “abundant caution.” But in the light of the note delivered by Mr Solanki the recent message could only be a retraction and not a matter of abundant caution.
Besides in a signed article in the Times of India as early as May 26 last year Mr Chidambaram wrote: “I was convinced and remain convinced that neither Rajiv nor any member of his family had anything to do with the Bofors payments It will be an insult to his memory if the Bofors investigation against Rajiv is allowed to continue Being a lawyer himself Mr. Chidambaram should at least have known that no investigation can selectively put any individual beyond suspicion. Overzealous to suppress the inquiry he was campaigning for the repeat of a Criminal Procedure Code amendment so that the power to write rotator could be snatched away from the CBI. How do these acts square with his new stance? Was he earlier serving as the loudspeaker of the Congress (B).
It was again at the behest of this hidden ally that Mrs Margaret Alva the minister of sale under the Prime Minister who looks after the CBI got the investigating officers of the Bofors affair shifted to other posts and other charges. Like Mr Chidamadaram she too feigns innocence now when she says that the CBI investigator in the Bofors case had been last promoted from the DIG rank to IG in May 1990 17 months before the Bofors file was withdrawn from him under Mrs. Alva’s order. Why is Mrs. Alva attempting to mislead the nation now?
The Operation Solanki was the anti-Bofors probe lobby’s biggest hit planned out meticulously to drive the final nail in the coffin of the Bofors inquiry. Earlier the lobby had moved inspired petitions before Indian courts in such a way that the Geneva court could have no option but to suspend its pronouncement on whether the names of the pay-off beneficiaries could be handed over to the CBI or not. The Geneva court was scheduled to decide on April 3 if the suspension order should be withdrawn. This decision was the last ring of defence for the no inquiry lobby. So time was of the essence and the Operation Solanki began at Davos in Switzerland early in February when the World Economic Forum was in session.
Mr. Solanki said that a private lawyer had handed him the note which he had passed on to his Swiss counterpart Mr Rene Felber But the operative apart of the note is its last sentence which says that “the balance of convenience should lie in favor of continuing the order of suspension (of Proceedings at the Geneva Cantonal court).”
This appears to be the handiwork of the same lobby which has material interest in scuttling the Bofors investigation. Take for instance the fact that access to the Davos mien was strictly by registration for a fee of US $10300 (over Rs. 3 lakh) So Mr. Solankis mysterious lawyer had indeed bought his way to the Davos meeting with the evident purpose of palming off a mischievous note on the minister. And it seems that the lawyer had done his homework well. At the Davos meet people to people discussions took place at the business center in row upon row of rabbit-warren obstacles. From available information it seems that the lawyer had passed on the note to Mr. Solanki immediately before the latter was to be led to one of those cubicles for his meeting with Mr. Felber. And that was the moment Mr. Solankis lawyer friend was waiting for. He grabbed the chance with remarkable prescience it seems. The question is; how was the private lawyer keeping track of ministerial movements without having a mole or several moles in the government? Everybody knows that Mr. Solankis trip to Davos was unscheduled and was decided upon at the eleventh hour Could it be purely a matter of chance? Or was it yet another operation of the same clutch of people who could manipulate ministerial movements just for the sake of getting the Indian foreign minister to shove a chit into the pocket of the Swiss foreign minister? This has undoubtedly been the most embarrassing revelation for the Narasimha Rao government. Political observers are curious about the choice of Mr. Solanki as the courier for the strange note Mr Solanki could well have fallen prey to a clever blackmail .Though a trusted lieutenant of Mr. Narasimha Rao it is now well known that he was ill at ease in the ministry of external affairs. He was indifferent to the ministry’s new compulsions and long before his resignation there were speculations galore as to his being either dropped or shifted to some less exacting ministry.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 17, 1992
