New Delhi: The death of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused in the Bofors case, has led to a fresh round of political blame-game between the BJP and the Congress.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Meenakashi Lekhi said the Bofors scandal was a classic case of how an investigative agency should not do its job. Referring to Quattrocchi, she said all those who were involved in alleged kickbacks in the Bofors case "have gone scot-free".
Quattrocchi died in the Italian city of Milan Friday.
"That man can`t tell tales. A 21-Bofors gun salute should be the order of the day," Lekhi said.
She accused the Congress of allowing Quattrocchi to leave the country in 1993 and said it had not made sincere efforts to bring him back.
"They should check who helped him flee the country. The Congress government defroze his accounts," Lekhi told IANS.
Congress spokesperson PC Chacko accused the BJP of raking up the Bofors issue even as Quattrocchi died a natural death and said such politicisation was "most unfortunate".
He said the government`s stance in the Bofors case was known to the world.
"We have taken whatever steps we could. We have not shown any soft corner towards Quattrocchi. What did the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government do? What steps did they take to bring him back," he said.
Chacko said the BJP makes Bofors an issue "only to abuse Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her family".
He said extradition of an individual depends on factors such as extradition treaty between countries.
IANS
