Bofors bores again

Another chapter in the Bofors saga has begun with chargesheets filed against some, not all, of the suspects in the corruption case. It is...

Another chapter in the Bofors saga has begun with chargesheets filed against some, not all, of the suspects in the corruption case. It is a major step forward but even so there must be considerable scepticism about how far and fast the whole case will be prosecuted. It is 13 years since the scandal first broke, years of painfully slow investigations under non-Congress governments and continuing attempts to cover-up under a Congress one.

Eighteen-year-olds who voted in the last election would have been in primary school when Swedish Radio reported payoffs in the Howitzer deal and Rajiv Gandhi made his fateful denials in Parliament. They would think that as corruption goes, Rs 64 crore the alleged payoff is small change. Bofors is outranked in monetary value and reach by the bank scam of the 1990s, in brazenness by former telecom minister Sukh Ram8217;s bundles in the bathroom, in political names by the hawala case in which every major party barring the communists was implicated but not nailed.

It ispossible these and other instances of corruption have been more pernicious in their effects than Bofors. No one any longer disputes the value in the field of the 155mm gun; and after Kargil the boycott of the manufacturer, AB Bofors, has had to be lifted. But Bofors is sui generis.

Thanks to the political fallout in 1989, its international linkages and its association with the country8217;s foremost political family, drama has attended all its phases. It has therefore come to epitomise the abuse of office. The truth or falseness of it still remains to be proved in court but the alleged abuse of office by the most powerful in the land is what makes Bofors such an important test case for the legal system in this country. That is why it must be pursued to a conclusion. But the Bofors saga is also about the curious reluctance of non-Congress governments to bring the case to closure in one way or another. The pursuit of the guilty is no joke but it is certainly true from V.P. Singh8217;s time into the present that theprosecution of the case has involved mixed motives. So much so that investigations into Bofors have also come to be seen in the country as lacking in serious intent and being used instead as a bogey from time to time to frighten the Congress and especially members of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The overwhelming impression is non-Congress politicians have been willing to strike but not to wound. The million dollar question is why.

Progress on the case may prove that impression wrong. However progress in court will be slow because of prior extradition proceedings for those apart from S.K. Bhatnagar, former defence secretary who live abroad, Ottavio Quattrochi, Win Chadha and Martin Ardbo. There is no reason why there should be a delay in filing charges against the rest of those cited in the CBI8217;s FIR which include, notably, the Hinduja brothers who contested in Swiss courts the transfer of Swiss bank documents to India. Overall, it is in everyone8217;s interest that Bofors be pursued diligently and brought to aspeedy conclusion. Let the courts decide. If the evidence is only circumstantial and will not stand up, so be it. If it is substantial enough to nail the guilty, let the CBI produce it. It is unhealthy to let this case fester on and on.