I never named Rajiv in Bofors, says VP Singh

Former prime minister V P Singh today said there was no question of his tendering apology as demanded by the Congress in the Bofors payoff case maintaining that he had "never taken Rajiv Gandhi's name".

He also sought a joint parliamentary committee probe into the CBI's "lapse" in failing to furnish certified copies of evidence to the court.

Addressing a press conference here a day after the Congress demanded an apology from all those who had launched "unsubstantiated and baseless" campaign against late Rajiv Gandhi, Singh, who had campaigned on the Bofors issue and became prime minister after the 1989 polls, said, "There is no question of tendering apology as I have never taken the name of Rajiv Gandhi. I have not made any personal charge against him. Even my government did not name him in the FIR.

"There is no need to offer apology for whatever is true. I did not say Rajiv Gandhi himself took money. Rather those who have levelled allegations against him should offer apology," he said.

Singh said the BJP government named Rajiv Gandhi after his death in the case which "is against Indian tradition."

The former prime minister said whatever he had said had been proved in the bank accounts.

On the CBI's "failure" to produce certified copies to the court, as required under law, even after so many years of the case, Singh demanded a probe by a JPC into why the investigating agency "always failed to provide evidences for example in the Jain hawala diary or Chandraswami cases".

Observing that during his regime the CBI was "more competent", Singh demanded early appointment of Lokayukta to go into such high-level matters.

Asked whether he wanted the case should be reopened through appropriate legal process as demanded by CPI(M), Singh parried a direct reply saying, "I am not ready to go beyond what I have said."