4. Bofors case (1987):Bofors scandal was independent India's one of the biggest political scandals in which the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was alleged to have received kickbacks.
It was alleged that the Swedish firm Bofors AB paid Rs. 64 crore in kickbacks to top Indian politicians including Rajiv Gandhi and key defense officials for winning a bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer.
The matter came to light on April 16, 1987, when Swedish Radio alleged that Bofors paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to seal the deal.
V P Singh, the then defense minister, took a very tough stand and finally resigned over the issue.Leading newspaper ‘The Hindu' followed the story relentlessly in one of the finest examples of investigative journalism.
The middleman associated with the scandal was Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman who was reportedly close to the Gandhi family and emerged as a powerful broker in the 1980s between big businesses and the Indian government.
Bofors scandal resulted in a huge face loss for Rajiv Gandhi and he lost the 1989 general elections as a result of public backlash over this issue.
Although Bofors scandal cost Rajeev Gandhi heavily, nothing could be established by investigation authorities. First, it was alleged that Congress govt was obfuscating the investigation but even BJP government failed to take the case to its logical conclusion.
Despite all the controversy, the Bofors gun was used extensively as the primary field artillery during the Kargil War with Pakistan and gave India 'an edge' against Pakistan.
