Cong ultimatum to Govt on Bofors charges

Earlier during the day, Sonia told reporters her late husband was innocent and `unjustly’ mentioned in the Bofors chargesheet and demanded that his name be deleted. `Why have they included the name of a person who cannot defend himself…legal experts have told me there is no such case against Rajiv Gandhi. His name has been unjustly mentioned in the chargesheet,’ she saidoutside Parliament.

Striking an aggressive posture, the party president asserted: `We have all the good intentions…We had offered constructive cooperation to the Government. That was my sincere approach as the country is passing though a difficult phase. I am afraid what they have done is unjust.’

The hardening of the party’s stand on the Bofors issue and the `pre-condition’ of withdrawing Rajiv’s name has put a question mark on the fate of key economic bills related to patents, IRA, FEMA and money laundering which the Government has planned to introduce in this session. The Congress is the dominant party in the Rajya Sabha and its support is essential for smooth passage of these bills.

Sources said the party would place its demand to remove Rajiv’s name from the chargesheet before the Government in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and wait for the former’s reaction before deciding its course of action. The party’s strategy is apparently to play safe initially and put the ball in the Government’s court. WithParliament to commence the debate on the President’s address tomorrow, the party may not want to jump the gun. It refrained from creating much noise in Parliament today in view of the President’s address to the joint session of both Houses.

Party spokesman Kapil Sibal told journalists today they believed in constructive opposition but if the BJP indulged in politics, there would be problems in cooperation.

He indicated that the Government could no longer take the Congress’ support on key economic bills for granted. `Although the Congress is committed to national interest, it will have to decide its stand in view of the Government’s attempt to play political games to malign the party,’ Sibal said.

Sibal justified the demand for removal of Rajiv’s name from the chargesheet on the ground that no judge had the right to try a person who is dead. `If you cannot try a person, prosecute and convict him, why is his name included as an accused?’ Sibal, an eminent lawyer, asked. He asserted that neither the CBInor any other agency had interrogated Rajiv on the Bofors deal. `For 10 years they were telling lies that Rajiv had taken money in the deal,’ Sibal said.

PM rejects charge

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on Monday rejected the Congress charge that his Government was denigrating Rajiv Gandhi by including him in the Bofors chargesheet. `The Bofors issue has been hanging fire for so many years. Complaints were being made against us that we are delaying the matter and that we have not been handling the issue honestly. Now we are being charged with the contrary,’ he told a private TV channel.