Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Viggen Fighter Aircraft Deal: Rajiv was ‘negotiator’ for Swedish fighter jet co: Wiki

‘Was Trying To Sell Planes To IAF In 1970s’New Delhi: WikiLeaks, in its latest revelations, has said that Rajiv Gandhi was a conduit in negotiations for a Swedish fighter plane in the 1970s, injecting a fresh dose of acrimony in the already strained Congress-BJP ties.

According to the claims, which flow from the secret “Kissinger” cables dispatched by the US embassy in India between 1973 and 1976, Rajiv played the “negotiator” for the Swedish firm Saab-Scania in its bid to sell fighters to the IAF by referring to a Swedish embassy official in India. It is, perhaps, the first time a reference has been brought on record about the possibility of a member of the Congress’s first family being involved in an arms deal, though the fighter that Rajiv purportedly tried to sell did not bag the contract.

The cable notes while as a transport pilot, Rajiv was hardly qualified to evaluate a fighter jet, the connection to the PM was what mattered. Viggen, made by Saab-Scania, was competing against British Jaguar and French Mirage fighters for the deal.

‘FAMILY INFLUENCE IMPORTANT’Oct 21, 1975 cable from US embassy in Delhi quotes a Swedish diplomat as claiming that Rajiv Gandhi may have been “main Indian negotiator” for Swedish firm Saab-Scania when it was trying to sell Viggen fighter planes in 1970s.

Swedes said they “understood the importance of family influences” in the final decision.

“We would have thought a transport pilot [is] not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then he has another and perhaps more relevant qualification” BJP questions ‘Gandhi link to defence scams’

Saab-Scania's Viggen, British Jaguar and French Mirage were in the fray for a contract as part of India’s efforts to wean itself off the over-riding dependence on Russian equipment then. Viggen finally pulled out of the competition under US pressure because the latter refused to permit the sale of the fighter, with several US equipment on board, to India.

The over 30-year-old US cable immediately triggered a political fight, with the BJP taking pot shots at the Congress seeking to know how the Gandhi family seemed to be linked to all major arms deals in the country. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, “These are serious accusations and we would want the documents of that period to be made public by the government. Also, the Congress and the Gandhi family must throw light…because the country wants to know why Sweden, Italy and the Gandhi family come to the forefront in all defence scams.”

An angry Congress was quick to dismiss the allegations. AICC media head Janardan Dwivedi accused Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of “spreading lies and falsehoods”. He said, “Having noted what the Swede (the official referred to in the cable) has said, the cable makes the comment that there was no additional information to either refute or confirm the information. The foundation of the whole story falls flat here.”

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the cables revealed how foreign firms had, over the years, recruited people wielding political influence to swing large contracts. Both the CPM and the BJP referred to the alleged involvement of Congress leaders in deals from Bofors to AgustaWestland.

AUS embassy cable from New Delhi on October 21, 1975, said, “Swedish emboff (embassy official) has informed us that (the) main Indian negotiator with Swedes on Viggen at New Delhi end has been Mrs Gandhi’s oler (sic) son, Rajiv Gandhi.” The cable added that Rajiv’s “only association with aircraft industry (to our knowledge) has been as pilot for Indian Airlines, and this is first time we have heard his name as entrepreneur”.

The Swedish embassy official reportedly told the US diplomat that French Dassault, which was pitching Mirage fighters, had the son-in-law of then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal O P Mehra as agent. The embassy cable further quotes the Swedish official as saying that Indira Gandhi had “made personal decision not to purchase British Jaguar because of her prejudices against British”.

The contract went to Jaguar, a British fighter, in 1978, after the anti-Congress coalition swept to power in 1977. Another cable from the US embassy in New Delhi said, “The Swedes here have also made it quite clear they understand the importance of family influences in the final decision in the fighter sweepstakes. Our colleague describes Ranjiv (sic) Gandhi in flattering terms, and contends his technical expertise is of a high level. This may or may not be. Offhand we would have thought a transport pilot not the best expert to rely upon in evaluating a fighter plane, but then we are speaking of a transport pilot who has another and perhaps more relevant qualification.”

Even as the Swedes were making their aggressive efforts in New Delhi, the US was growing concerned about the sale because of the large numbers of American equipment onboard the fighter. In August, 1976, US ambassador in Stockholm summoned Saab-Scania president Curt Mileikowsky. “I informed him that USG (US government), after careful consideration, has concluded that no version of the Viggen containing any classified US components would be acceptable for transfer to India. I said USG would also oppose any transfer to India, for local production, of the advanced US technology represented in Viggen’s aerodynamic design, engine and flying controls, navigation system, electronic components and weapons systems,” the envoy has been quoted as saying.
Courtesy:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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