Prez Pranab Mukherjee defends Bofors scam, tells Swedish paper scandal was a media trial

Ahead of his state visit to Sweden, President Pranab Mukherjee has sparked controversy after telling Swedish national daily Dagens Nyhetter  said that the Bofors scandal was ‘a media trial’ and that one shouldn’t get too carried away by the publicity it had received.

When editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyhetter, Peter Wolodarski, asked the president how a scandal could be avoided on new Bofors deal especially when “trade between Sweden and India is to increase,” he notes that the President of India becomes animated:

 “First of all - it is yet to be to be established that there was a scandal. No Indian court has established it, he reminds us.”

“I was the defence minister of the country long after Bofors, and all my generals certified that this is one of the best guns we are having. Till today, Indian army is using it. The so-called scandal which you talk of, yes, in the media, it was there. There was a media trial. But I’m afraid, let us not be too much carried by publicity,” Mukherjee told the Swedish daily.

The Bofors scandal broke in 1987 and several people, including former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, were accused of receiving kickbacks for the purchase of Bofors howitzer guns. Indian government and Swedish arms company Bofors had inked a $285 million deal for 155 mm howitzer field guns. The scandal eventually led to the defeat of the Rajiv Gandhi-led government in national elections in1989.

Mukherjee was not part of Rajiv’s Cabinet when the scandal broke though, he did serve as Finance Minister and Defence Minister in Congress-led governments.

A Swedish journalist who reported significantly on the Bofors case, Bo G Andersson told The NewsMinute that Pranab Mukherjee has been part of many Congress-led governments and this statement could be seen as an attempt by the President to re-establish the reputation of the Congress party.

The BJP and Congress have chosen to remain silent so far.