New Delhi: The latest
Wikileaks revelations of Rajiv Gandhi having been a conduit in
negotiations for a Swedish fighter plane in the 70s injected a fresh
dose of acrimony in the already bitter Congress-BJP ties.
The Wikileaks revelation flows from newly-released secret “Kissinger” cables dispatched by US embassy in India between 1973 and 1976 that claim Rajiv was the “negotiator” for a Swedish firm trying to sell fighters to Indian Air Force (IAF) by referring to a Swedish embassy official in India.
The allegation is, perhaps, the first time a reference has been brought on record about the possibility of a member of the Congress party’s first family being involved in an arms deal, though the fighter that Rajiv purportedly tried to sell did not win the contract finally.
The cable notes that while as a transport pilot, Rajiv would hardly be qualified to evaluate a fighter jet, the connection to the prime minister is what mattered.
Viggen, manufactured by Saab-Scania, was competing against British Jaguar and French Mirage fighters for a contract as part of India’s efforts to wean off from the over-riding dependence on Russian equipment then. Viggen finally pulled out of the competition under US pressure because the latter refused to permit sale of the fighter, with several US equipment on board, to India.
The more than three-decade-old US cable triggered a political fight with BJP taking pot shots at the Congress asking how was it that the Gandhi family seemed linked to all major arms deals while the ruling party angrily denied the allegations.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "These are serious accusations and we would want the documents of that period be made public by the government. Also the Congress party and the Gandhi family must throw light…because the country wants to know why every time Sweden, Italy and Gandhi family come to the forefront in all defence scams."
AICC media head Janardan Dwivedi accused Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of "spreading lies and falsehoods". He said "having noted what the Swede (official referred to in the cable) has said, the cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information. The foundation of the whole story falls flat here."
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the cables revealed how foreign firms have over the years recruited persons wielding political influence to swing large contracts. Both CPM and BJP referred to the alleged involvement of Congress leaders in deals from the Bofors to the AgustaWestland contract.
A US Embassy cable from New Delhi on October 21, 1975 said, “Swedish emboff (embassy official) has informed us that main Indian negotiator with Swedes on Viggen at New Delhi end has been Mrs. Gandhi's oler (sic) son, Rajiv Gandhi.”
The cable said Rajiv’s “only association with aircraft industry (to our knowledge) has been as pilot for Indian Airlines and this is first time we have heard his name as entrepreneur.” Swedish embassy official told the US diplomat that French Dassault, which was pitching Mirage fighters, had the son-in-law of then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal O P Mehra as the agent. The Embassy cable quotes the Swedish official as saying that Indira Gandhi had “made personal decision not to purchase British Jaguar because of her prejudices against British.”
The contract went to Jaguar, a British fighter, in 1978 after the anti-Congress coalition swept to power in 1977.
Another cable from the US Embassy in New Delhi said, “The Swedes here have also made it quite clear they understand the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes. Our colleague describes Ranjiv (sic) Gandhi in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand we would have thought a transport pilot not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification.”
Even as Swedes were making their aggressive efforts in New Delhi, the US was growing concerned about the sale because of large numbers of American equipment onboard the fighter. In August 1976, US ambassador in Stockholm summoned the Saab-Scania president Curt Mileikowsky. “I informed him that USG (US government), after careful consideration, has concluded that no version of the Viggen containing any classified U.S. components would be acceptable for transfer to India. I said USG would also oppose any transfer to India, for local production, of the advanced U.S. technology represented in the Viggen's aerodynamic design, engine and flying controls, navigation system, electronic components and weapons systems.”
The latest revelations, regarding Rajiv about a role that he probably played much before joining active politics and when he was an Indian Airlines pilot, set off a fresh round of political uproar.
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday said the cables was the latest revelation to show how foreign firms have been recruiting people with political connection in India to swing contracts. “In this case while no deal was made it should not be forgotten Bofors deal was made with the same country. Nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and arms companies continues. The latest being the AugustaWestland helicopter deal," Karat said.
Congress discarded Wikileaks revelations. "There are no grounds for WikiLeaks story and it is baseless and unfounded," Dwivedi said while questioning the credibility of the accusations made in the cable.
Allegations baseless: Cong New Delhi: Congress on Monday trashed allegations made by Wikileaks that Rajiv Gandhi may have been a middleman for a Swedish arms firm in the 1970s as “baseless and unfounded”.
“There are no grounds for the Wikileaks story and it is baseless and unfounded,” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
Stung with the fresh revelations, the ruling party lashed out at Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for “spreading lies and falsehoods” and questioned his motives by saying he wanted to form a political party.
Dwivedi quoted the last line of the cable to emphasize that there was no foundation to the allegations. “The cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information. The foundation of the whole story falls flat here,” he said.
The Congress leader questioned the credibility of Wikileaks, saying the allegations made by the outfit in the past had not been verified till date. “An agency, which had sometime back collected a lot of so-called information or got it somewhere and published quoting American embassy... Till date it has not been verified. I do not understand what is the basis of what has been published in the newspaper today,” he said. TNN
The Wikileaks revelation flows from newly-released secret “Kissinger” cables dispatched by US embassy in India between 1973 and 1976 that claim Rajiv was the “negotiator” for a Swedish firm trying to sell fighters to Indian Air Force (IAF) by referring to a Swedish embassy official in India.
The allegation is, perhaps, the first time a reference has been brought on record about the possibility of a member of the Congress party’s first family being involved in an arms deal, though the fighter that Rajiv purportedly tried to sell did not win the contract finally.
The cable notes that while as a transport pilot, Rajiv would hardly be qualified to evaluate a fighter jet, the connection to the prime minister is what mattered.
Viggen, manufactured by Saab-Scania, was competing against British Jaguar and French Mirage fighters for a contract as part of India’s efforts to wean off from the over-riding dependence on Russian equipment then. Viggen finally pulled out of the competition under US pressure because the latter refused to permit sale of the fighter, with several US equipment on board, to India.
The more than three-decade-old US cable triggered a political fight with BJP taking pot shots at the Congress asking how was it that the Gandhi family seemed linked to all major arms deals while the ruling party angrily denied the allegations.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "These are serious accusations and we would want the documents of that period be made public by the government. Also the Congress party and the Gandhi family must throw light…because the country wants to know why every time Sweden, Italy and Gandhi family come to the forefront in all defence scams."
AICC media head Janardan Dwivedi accused Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of "spreading lies and falsehoods". He said "having noted what the Swede (official referred to in the cable) has said, the cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information. The foundation of the whole story falls flat here."
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the cables revealed how foreign firms have over the years recruited persons wielding political influence to swing large contracts. Both CPM and BJP referred to the alleged involvement of Congress leaders in deals from the Bofors to the AgustaWestland contract.
A US Embassy cable from New Delhi on October 21, 1975 said, “Swedish emboff (embassy official) has informed us that main Indian negotiator with Swedes on Viggen at New Delhi end has been Mrs. Gandhi's oler (sic) son, Rajiv Gandhi.”
The cable said Rajiv’s “only association with aircraft industry (to our knowledge) has been as pilot for Indian Airlines and this is first time we have heard his name as entrepreneur.” Swedish embassy official told the US diplomat that French Dassault, which was pitching Mirage fighters, had the son-in-law of then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal O P Mehra as the agent. The Embassy cable quotes the Swedish official as saying that Indira Gandhi had “made personal decision not to purchase British Jaguar because of her prejudices against British.”
The contract went to Jaguar, a British fighter, in 1978 after the anti-Congress coalition swept to power in 1977.
Another cable from the US Embassy in New Delhi said, “The Swedes here have also made it quite clear they understand the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes. Our colleague describes Ranjiv (sic) Gandhi in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand we would have thought a transport pilot not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification.”
Even as Swedes were making their aggressive efforts in New Delhi, the US was growing concerned about the sale because of large numbers of American equipment onboard the fighter. In August 1976, US ambassador in Stockholm summoned the Saab-Scania president Curt Mileikowsky. “I informed him that USG (US government), after careful consideration, has concluded that no version of the Viggen containing any classified U.S. components would be acceptable for transfer to India. I said USG would also oppose any transfer to India, for local production, of the advanced U.S. technology represented in the Viggen's aerodynamic design, engine and flying controls, navigation system, electronic components and weapons systems.”
The latest revelations, regarding Rajiv about a role that he probably played much before joining active politics and when he was an Indian Airlines pilot, set off a fresh round of political uproar.
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday said the cables was the latest revelation to show how foreign firms have been recruiting people with political connection in India to swing contracts. “In this case while no deal was made it should not be forgotten Bofors deal was made with the same country. Nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and arms companies continues. The latest being the AugustaWestland helicopter deal," Karat said.
Congress discarded Wikileaks revelations. "There are no grounds for WikiLeaks story and it is baseless and unfounded," Dwivedi said while questioning the credibility of the accusations made in the cable.
Allegations baseless: Cong New Delhi: Congress on Monday trashed allegations made by Wikileaks that Rajiv Gandhi may have been a middleman for a Swedish arms firm in the 1970s as “baseless and unfounded”.
“There are no grounds for the Wikileaks story and it is baseless and unfounded,” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
Stung with the fresh revelations, the ruling party lashed out at Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for “spreading lies and falsehoods” and questioned his motives by saying he wanted to form a political party.
Dwivedi quoted the last line of the cable to emphasize that there was no foundation to the allegations. “The cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information. The foundation of the whole story falls flat here,” he said.
The Congress leader questioned the credibility of Wikileaks, saying the allegations made by the outfit in the past had not been verified till date. “An agency, which had sometime back collected a lot of so-called information or got it somewhere and published quoting American embassy... Till date it has not been verified. I do not understand what is the basis of what has been published in the newspaper today,” he said. TNN
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