Letters: The Bofors scandal revisited

The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam has brought back the memory of the infamous Bofors scandal. Once again, the nation and its people are shocked with the gargantuan graft charges levelled against the red-faced government and its officials by the Italian authorities. It shows a lack of transparency and a constant misappropriation of funds by the government while doing massive defence deals for the country with foreign investors. The Italian government has taken the right decision to arrest Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi for indulging in the slush-fund racket of getting the tender to sell choppers to India in favour of his company. It has also pulled in the name of former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief S P Tyagi as a middleman in the bribery nexus. That will surely damage the reputation of the IAF and the country. It is similar to what happened to the Army, which was embroiled in the Tatra trucks scandal. The Central Bureau of Investigation enquiry ordered by the government is a mere ploy to brush aside the issue. The suspension of the deal by the defence ministry with the Italian firm, however, may help the government from impending disasters and further embarrassments.

Janga Bahadur Sunuwar Bagrakote

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