It is rare for a politician to admit his guilt. Even when convicted in a court of law — in the court of the people he invariably stands convicted — he would still insist that he was ‘trapped’, was a victim of a witch-hunt, etc.
Given that the police and investigating agencies are riddled with corruption and are amenable to political pressures, a regime-change invariably translates into soft-pedaling of prosecution against accused-politicians. Besides, the long and interminable judicial processes cause crooked politicians to pedal denial as the best response even in the face of clinching evidence to the contrary.
For example, former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Chhagan Bhujbal, who now finds himself in jail for monumental corruption, still pleads innocence, though the Enforcement Directorate reckons that he may have laundered over Rs. 4,000 crore of illicit loot. But the classic case where every crook got away without as much as a rap on the knuckles continues to be the Bofors scam. The saga of corruption and cover-up is too well-known to need recounting here.
Despite the fact that legally there were no kickbacks involved in the purchase of Swedish howitzer guns back in the mid-80s, a vast majority rightly believes that Ottavio Quattrocchhi, the late Italian friend of the Gandhis, who bought a one-way ticket out of India to escape arrest, was at the center of the Bofors scam. And that the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi knew full well even at the time of signing the purchase agreement with the Swedes that Quattrocchhi would get a hefty commission. Yet, things were so arranged and the investigations and prosecution so botched up that the courts had no recourse other than to close the case.
In the above backdrop, we are not surprised that Sonia Gandhi has denied that she had anything to do with the Agusta Westland scam or had taken any bribe. Her daring the Government to investigate the charges and jail her too ought to be seen in the above light. She seems to be getting used to affecting a pose of innocence. Recall how she had asserted her innocence in the Bofors scam even while ensuring that the family friend, the same Italian thug, vanished from these parts and, much later, when caught accidently in Argentina, made certain that he was freed immediately.
So, we give no credence to her pro forma denial and would rather trust the order of an Italian court which has duly convicted top honchos of the company for bribing powerful Indians for securing the order for the supply of 12 choppers at a whopping price of Rs. 3,600 crores. Meanwhile, her foot-soldiers in Parliament on Wednesday did what minions are supposed to do, that is, block any effort to mention her name in the context of the corruption scam, even if the reference was validated by the proceedings in the Italian court. Gods and goddesses can commit a mistake, but Sonia and her son, Rahul, are infallible for the bonded slaves who people the Congress Party.
In the Rajya Sabha, expectedly, the newly-nominated Subramaniam Swamy announced his return to Parliament by frontally naming Sonia Gandhi as one of the bribe-takers. It may be again parliamentary etiquette to name a member of the other House, but the Congress cheerleaders would have still created a shindy even if she was not a Lok Sabha member. The Congress members competed with one another equally to shout Swamy down, with some trying to establish their loyalty to the party chief by calling Swamy a CIA agent and other such abuse. But Swamy remained unfazed, though there will be a further question mark about normalcy returning to the House of Elders since the presence of the ever irrepressible Swamy acts as a red rage before the Congress bulls.
A couple of minutes earlier, the leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, presented what can only be called a wholly unconvincing defence meant to preempt the charges of bribery. For blacklisting Agusta Westland does in no way prove anyone’s innocence though it denies the country a vital source of excellent equipment. The point is better explained by returning to Bofors. Blacklisting the Swedish howitzer maker had only meant choking the supply of ammunition for what was otherwise an excellent field gun for the Indian Army. The Bofors scandal was about the bribes, not about the quality of the guns.
Likewise, no one is questioning the worthiness of the Agusta Westland choppers. No. It is about the bribes that the company paid to the top Congress politicians and defence personnel that is at the heart of the scam. Brazen hoodwinking can in no way convince anyone of the innocence of those who have been listed as suspects in a well-documented and well-supported court order in Italy.
