Explosive Interview on Scandal that Brought Down Rajiv Gandhi | ft. Rahul Shrivastava | Jist

When the Bofors scandal came to light in 1987, it shook the Rajiv Gandhi government despite its 400 plus majority in the Lok Sabha.

The storm over Bofors bribes led to a change of government in Delhi in 1989. In came VP Singh, riding on the backlash against the Congress government of Rajiv Gandhi.

Almost four decades later, Chitra Subramaniam's book on Boforsgate has made stunning revelations on the scale of cover-up carried out in India, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Politicians and ministers, both Indian and Swedish, cut a sorry figure. The role of top bureaucrats in the cover-up put the country's 'steel framework' to shame. The reputation of the Swedish arms manufacturer, Bofors, was ripped apart.

There were attempts to falsely implicate the country's biggest film star at the time, Amitabh Bachchan.

Those who got away with what Bofors called 'winding-up charges' were arms dealers, their shady connections, and commissions routed through coded Swiss bank accounts.

In 1997, the Swiss sent a sealed box filled with Bofors documents to India. Chitra Subramaniam says that Swiss box still lies 'unopened' in the CBI's custody.

Governments have come and governments have gone. But none, it seems, ever made an honest attempt to get to the truth of the Bofors scandal. The principal players in the Bofors saga may have died long ago. But India deserves to know the Bofors secrets that lie in the Swiss box with the CBI.



0:00-6:20 - Introduction
6:20-10:00 - Inspiration Behind Writing the Book
10:00-14:56 – Swiss Handed Bofors Documents to CBI in 1997
14:56-16:42 – Court Battle in Switzerland
16:42-18:42 - How Chitra Began Chasing the Bofors Story
18:42-23:00 - Bribes, Threats, and Intimidation
23:00-24:00 - Fake Deposits to Discredit Chitra Subramaniam
24:00-25:25 - Character Assassination of Amitabh Bachchan
25:25-28:35 - Why Was the Bofors Contract Approved?
28:35-29:50 - Was Bofors a Good Defence Deal?
29:50-32:40 - How Bofors Scandal Unfolded
32:40-35:04 - Arms Dealer: The Friendly Snake
35:04-41:57 – Hinduja Link to Bofors Scandal
41:57-43:00 - The Dirty Tricks Department
43:00-44:05 - Rajiv Gandhi’s Reaction
44:05-51:20 - Cover-Up by Indian & Swedish Governments
51:20-53:32 - Formation of the JPC to Investigate Bofors
53:32-55:29 – Revelations That Put Rajiv Gandhi Govt in the Dock
55:29-1:01:03 - Role of Ottavio Quattrocchi and Win Chadda
1:01:06-1:05:24 - Why Didn’t India Question Bofors on Bribes?
1:05:24-1:10:01 - How Chitra Was Undermined by Her Editor N. Ram
1:10:01-1:13:38 – Attempt to Falsely Implicate Amitabh Bachchan
1:13:38-1:15:34 - Ottavio Quattrocchi and the Italian Connection
1:15:34-1:17:05 - Meeting with Rajiv Gandhi’s Cousin Arun Nehru
1:17:05-1:18:28 – Hindujas Fixed Interview with Swedish PM
1:18:28-1:20:04 – Bofors Probe Led to Switzerland Amending Its Laws
1:20:04-1:21:42 - Why Minister Arun Singh’s Children Faced Threats?
1:21:42-1:23:43 – PM V.P Singh Requested Chitra to Accompany Indian Probe Team to Switzerland
1:23:43-1:24:53 - Why Ram Jethmalani Apologized to Chitra?
1:24:53-1:28:46 - Chitra’s ‘Feeling of Victory’
1:28:46-1:33:18 - Madhavsinh Solanki Urged Swiss to Go Slow on Bofors Probe
1:33:18-1:35:40 – PM V.P Singh Was Not Interested in the Bofors Investigation
1:35:40-1:36:55 - High-Level Cover-Up to Protect a Single Person
1:36:55-1:41:40 - Chitra’s Meeting with Atal Bihari Vajpayee
1:41:40-1:44:06 - Was Rajiv Gandhi Involved in the Bofors Case?
1:44:06-1:45:53 - Conclusion of the Podcast