BJP cites book on Bofors to demand Sonia, Rahul's resignations as MPs

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday cited a book by a journalist, who is credited with exposing the alleged Bofors scam, to attack Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, and demanded they quit as MPs till they make a full disclosure about their relations with alleged Italian middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed the "huge revelations" made by Chitra Subramaniam in her book Bofors Gate are worrisome, and alleged that Quattrocchi used his proximity to the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his wife Sonia Gandhi to pull strings in finalising defence deals.

There was no immediate reaction from the Congress to the BJP's allegations and the demands made at the press conference.

It has long been alleged that Quattrocchi, who is no more, enjoyed warm ties with Sonia Gandhi, who is also of Italian origin, and used it to his business advantage in India.

He was one of the accused in the CBI's long-winded probe into the alleged bribery in the Bofors gun deal after the kickoff was first reported by the Swedish state radio in 1987. Subramaniam subsequently did a number of stories on the unfolding development.

Bhatia alleged that defence files during the Rajiv Gandhi's term would be taken to Quattrocchi so that he could change them to favour companies of his choice.

He said the current Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, should answer if it was no violation of oath by Rajiv Gandhi. The BJP leader alleged that Quattrocchi's bank accounts were defrozen by the CBI in 2005 during the Congress-led UPA rule at the behest of Sonia Gandhi.

Citing these incidents, he asked if this did not amount to betrayal to the country and claimed that the Rafale defence deal also could not be finalised during the UPA's term as the Gandhi family wanted a cut.

"Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should resign from their position till they make a full disclosure about their family's relations with Quattrocchi. Till then, they have no right to remain MPs," he said.

Will Kharge stand with the country or "corrupt" Gandhis, he said.

To a question about the party's take on Justice Yashwant Varma, who is in the eye of a storm following the discovery of a huge amount of cash at his house after a fire incident, Bhatia said two respected institutions, the Supreme Court and the Rajya Sabha Chairman, have spoken about the issue.

"We should wait for authorities to have a thorough investigation and take appropriate legal action," he said.

People are sure that corruption has no place in the country, and no one is above the law and the country's Constitution, he added.