The BJP on Wednesday asked the Congress to respond to the revelations made by former CBI Director Dr AP Mukherjee in his book that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wanted commissions by Defence suppliers to be pooled and used to fund expenditure of the Congress.
At a time when foreign funding to Aam Aadmi Party is making headlines, the new revelations by an officer close to the former PM also provide fresh ammunition to the BJP.
"Whilst commissions in large Defence deals are illegal, kickbacks were collected and as established in this book, diverted for political purposes. In the decade of 80s all discussions about Bofors, or the HDW, submarine deals and airbus purchases all revolved around kickbacks. It has always been a question in public discourses as to who the recipients of these kickbacks were and into whose account the kickbacks flowed. The revelation in this book partly answers not just these questions, but also points a finger at the direction where these funds were channeled to," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Claiming that financial sinew of the Congress has now been laid bare, Sitharaman asked whether Rajiv also engaged in diverting such funds for political activitiesIJ
Surely as alleged by the BJP, Sitharaman said, the kickbacks from the various big-ticket deals, marked a hallmark of Congress politics. "Rajiv Gandhi paid lip service to it and questions about Bofors remain unanswered till date. And now, his son Rahul Gandhi is also talking about a new politics. His followers project him as the messiah of clean and new politics," Sitharaman said.
"Where do Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the party stand on these issues," she asked adding, "Does Rahul Gandhi want to continue with his politics, carrying this baggage, without answering such questionsIJ"