New Delhi, Apr 13: It is election time and the ghost of Bofors has again hit Congress. A generation has passed hearing ‘stories’ about kickbacks in the Bofors gun deal that was inked by India and Sweden in March 1986, but still “revelations” keep flowing from Geneva, London and Stockholm. The final word on the kickbacks is yet to be said (or, it would never be pronounced).

The kickback charges in the purchase of 400 Howitzer guns from A B Bofors were first brought to light by the Swedish Radio in 1987 which were later picked up, elaborated and investigated independently by many newspapers. The main charge was that middlemen were involved and kickbacks were paid to ‘high-profile’ people despite the agreement that there should be no middlemen.

In the latest “disclosure”, Sten Lindstorm, a Swedish investigator in the Bofors case, has felt that Congress President Sonia Gandhi “must be questioned”.

In an article in an English daily, the Swedish investigator alleges that “pressure” from India blocked the evidence in the case. Investigations into the Bofors case have been marred by several “mysterious” ups and downs with an alleged “note” being sent to divert the progress of the probe abroad (a la the then external affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki), protest resignation of senior CBI officers (the then joint director K Madhavan) or “an easy escape” for the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi from India in 1993 when it was officially known that his name appeared in the list of recipients of the Bofors kickbacks (during the Narasimha Rao government) totalling Rs 64 crore.

Though the bribery case came to light in 1997, the CBI filed its first chargesheet in October 1999.
In a much-delayed verdict on the case, the Delhi High Court extended on February 4 a clean chit to the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Justice J D Kapoor, in his order on an appeal filed by the Hindujas against framing of charges against them by a special court, ruled that the CBI had failed to provide evidence that any public servant had received bribes in the deal.

In fact, the court said that not “a shred” of evidence was found against Mr Rajiv Gandhi.

But that was not to be the end of it: CBI Director Umashanker Mishra said the agency had the option to appeal against the “clean chit” being given to Mr Gandhi. While the “real villains” in the case continue to be mysterious, politicians have been pulling out all stops to exploit the Bofors bonanza, at least since 1989. As Deputy Prime Minister L D Advani declared, “the V P Singh government could be formed only because of the Bofors scam”. Mr Advani said so last week while asking Congress to “answer the startling charges” and “pointed questions” instead of finding motives in it.

Going by the track record of the “political journey” of Bofors, the timing of the current Bofors “revelation” by Lindstorm is very much suspect, irrespective of the merits of the case in question.

Bofors is a political football played during the Lok Sabha election season. Now, it is ‘goal time’ for those who see kickbacks in the deal.