Despite the cunning razzie dazzle, deception and plain lies over the last two years, Rajiv Gandhi’s cover of falsehood has melted away in the face of Comptroller and Auditor General TN Chauturyedi’s report on Bofor gun deal. A stunned but undemocratic Gandhi witnessed the resignation of over 70 MPs belonging to 12 opposition parties after their unanimous decision to resign in the light of scathing but well-reasoned report by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The report had token over two years to research and write in the face of subtle and plain mulish manipulation by the Defense and Finance ministers to cover up the misdemeanor nay, criminal activities of Rajiv Gandhi. In essence Rajiv Gandhi and cohorts had embezzled over $ 1.4 billion rupees as commission from the Swiss Company that sold Bofors guns to the Indian army.
During the field trials of the various guns the army reported that the best gun was the French made Sofma gun. However Rajiv Gandhi took over charge of the Defense Ministry for a short period of time during which the army was ordered to change their preference abruptly to that of Bofors. Not only that the Defense Ministry also purchased substandard ammunition amounting to hundreds of millions of rupees. To cap it all the Gandhi government tried its best to mislead the public and the parliament and tried to deny that monies were exchanged between the suppliers and Gandhi.
At the time of writing this editorial a total of 97 MPs out of 106 had already resigned and the rest are expected to do the same shortly. According to a new Indian law an MP has to be present in the Parliament when tendering resignation.
There are indications that even Gandhi’s close allies have started to abandon him and the ruling Congress party. Rao Birinder Singh, a former close ally of Rajiv Gandhi and his mother, while tendering his resignation from the Parliament expressed his sorrow and disappointment at the corruption, antidemocratic attitudes and the hopeless abyss that Rajiv Gandhi has led the country into.
Justice HR Khanna a former Supreme Court judge has expressed his concern at the weakening judiciary growing corruption, and Congress Party’s prolivity to misuse the bureaucratic apparatus for holding on to power.
‘What has ail this meant for Rajiv Gandhi? He and his henchmen have called Comptroller and Auditor General Chaturvedi’s report as “irresponsible” and the resignation of the opposition MPs “a cheap election stunt”.
We are not surprised at Rajiv Gandhi reaction. What else can be expected from a man who is reaping the benefits of “dynastic democracy” and who has no understanding of spirit and form of democracy? He is still under the illusion that he will be able to hold on to the heredity power through the machinations of his band of corrupt and unethical ministers,
The name this game is shame. There is only one course left for Rajiv Gandhi to follow resign and submit himself to criminal proceedings as any other citizen.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 4, 1989
