Monday, September 19 2005 18:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Terming as 'baseless and slanderous' the allegations that Soviet secret service KGB had bribed its ministers in the past; Congress today (Sept 19, 2005) rejected these with the contempt it deserves.

"To state that Mrs Gandhi became Prime Minister because of the manipulation by any foreign intelligence agency is preposterous. The truth is that Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, 1971 and 1980 because of the love, affection and trust the people of India reposed in her", AICC said in a press release.

The Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship of 1971 or Rupee-Rouble agreement and closer relationship with the then Soviet Union were the outcome of the policies for socio-economic justice pursued by the government at that time, it said.

"It is totally incorrect to say that these policies had anything to do with the KGB. In fact, the 'Times' article which attacks the whole gamut of Indo-Soviet friendship is absurd", the release said.

Observing that in the late seventies, similar allegations were made against important national leaders, the release said, "The Congress Party rejects these allegations with the contempt it deserves".

The Congress called the news item published in different newspapers and carried on different television channels based on a report written in a book titled 'The Mitrokhi Archive-II' as 'highly tendentious and mischievous'.

"The report alleged that the KGB openly bribed CPI and Congress politicians, including ministers in Indira Gandhi's government for secrets and paid them regularly. The allegations are baseless and slanderous", the release said.