New Delhi: Launching a fresh tirade, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Apr 11, 2004) charged Congress president Sonia Gandhi with "using" her children and grandchildren as a protective "shield" to draw political mileage during the elections and asked her to come clean on the Bofors controversy.

"It is indeed a sad and bad commentary on the part of Gandhi and against Indian tradition to use her children and grandchildren as an emotional shield against the controversy to get political mileage at the time of polls.

"Instead, people expect a direct reply from her on the disclosures made by a Swedish police officer, who was involved in the investigation of the pay-off case from the beginning," party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...
Political Parties in India

Gandhi had in Raipur yesterday accused BJP of raking up the controversy deliberately for the last 18 years and sarcastically remarked that it could be thrust upon her great grand children also one day.

He said Gandhi's silence on the issue and the Congress party dubbing the "disclosures" as "bogus and politically motivated" only raises question marks on her motives.

"People are keen to know from the horse's mouth answers to questions on her relationship with Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, his access to the Prime Minister's residence and how he succeeded in promoting his dubious business interests in India," he said.

Asked about the three questions posed by Congress to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he merely said, "Let the Congress president come clean on the issue first."