BJP Targets Congress Over Bofors Scam, Demands Resignation of Sonia, Rahul

Targeting the Congress over the Bofors scam, the BJP on Tuesday alleged that on the instructions of senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, during the UPA tenure, accounts of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the alleged middleman in the Bofors deal, were unfrozen.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The scam pertains to allegations of a Rs 64-crore bribe in a Rs 1,437-crore deal with Swedish firm Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm field howitzers, which played a significant role in India's victory during the Kargil War.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here over the issue, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said: "Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman, played a central role in the Bofors scandal. He (Quattrocchi) maintained a close relationship with then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi (Congress leader), and openly boasted that he could secure government contracts for companies."