New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Nearly four decades after it broke out, the probe into the Bofors scandal still remains inconclusive even though papers and people that can establish the truth are still out there but are still ignored and unutilised, says journalist Chitra Subramaniam.
“Yes, Papers and people. Because people feel safer to speak. Papers definitely… papers can’t lie, money trails can’t lie.. in the box. Then the CBI says there are boxes… what boxes? Are there two? I saw only one. You know it’s very confusing what’s going on…” Subramaniam told IANS in an interview to a question whether a new probe into the issue is needed.
“Suddenly you have your Rip Van Winkle moment after the book. If you really know something, say it. And Mr Joginder Singh was a very mediatic person. I don’t believe he sat in the corner and opened everything. At least tell us what you know,” she said, referring to the Central Bureau of Investigation chief who had been handed a large box of Bofors-related bank documents in 1997.
“I think there are papers, I think there are people who feel more confident now to speak,” the veteran journalist, whose recently-released “Boforsgate: A Journalist’s Pursuit of Truth” chronicles her over-decade long probe in Switzerland and Sweden to get to the bottom of the scandal.
However, Subramaniam said she would not like to be linked to a new probe but was ready to guide and mentor younger journalists who are keen.
“Kaa (her codename for a Switzerland-based Swedish arms leader who gave her some clues and acquainted her with the amoral world of arms deals) connected with me recently … but I don’t want to get involved. I’ve moved on… I would like the younger generation to… if they want to get in. I am very happy to mentor and very happy to speak to journalists,” she said.
Subramaniam, however, stressed any new probe has “to connect with the right people”.
“I don’t know… we need to connect with the right people. Can you imagine that no one from India, no probing agency has spoken to Sten Lindstrom, or Sting (the then Swedish police chief, who was a key source for her)… Nobody. Does it make any sense? (CBI chief in 1987) Mr Mohan Katre went to Sweden but didn’t meet him. Nobody met him…why don’t you connect with him… he will guide you, he will tell you don’t waste your time here, don’t do this, don’t do that… He’ll actually save you money,” she said.
“And it’s his story as well. Why did he speak to me? It’s an emotional story for him because the (Sweden’s then ruling) Social Democrats let him down. So there is an entire story behind there.”
“So do I think there has to be a probe? There definitely has to be an investigation… what the framework of that will be decided by my country. It’s not for me…, As a journalist, I did my bit, now, the government should take it forward… because you can’t let things hang in the air,” Subramaniam told IANS.
Citing the “destruction of institutions, of people, of relationships …” due to the blatant coverups in the initial Indian probe after the scandal erupted in 1987, she said: “My heart goes out to the army.. people in the army who are dying. And then, of course, we won the Kargil war because of the gun. But I am told that the destruction of the morale, the destruction is deep. So yes there has to be some confidence-building, confidence-building in the system, confidence-building saying yes, we are a democracy, we want to be a great power, and that I believe I say in the book, ‘Give us something to dream, give us the tools to dream’.”
“Don’t say ‘is hamaam mein sab nange hai’ (all are tarred with the same brush)… that is not true. There are a lot of people who are not like that..”
Asked if she had known what she would go through, the personal impact, the frustrations, and the inconclusive evidence, she would still launch her investigation, Subramaniam emphatically said ‘yes’
“Yes… Yes, but with some changes. Definitely, I would just make sure that childcare is better, I would have approached home and childcare differently, but definitely,” she said.
She also had a piece of advice for women journalists.
“I am very happy to tell all the women who are listening to me, young women, that there is no magic wand. You will have to figure out how you want to handle home and your job because one will come into the other… there is no separation…,” she said.
–IANS
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