Bofors, a child of pre-reforms era who
went missing in Kumbh Mela years ago, is back now, expecting the nation to
embrace him. But, little did this young man realize that much smoke has flowed
from the barrel of the howitzers in the last 25 years.
"I was hoping for an emotional
re-union, reserved for a long-lost boy. But, what have I got in return? Nobody
in the country seems to care about me," Bofors told Arnab Goswami on
"News Hour", a programme that seeks answers from the nation on
serious issues confronting the society like Aishwarya Rai's overweight and
forensic analysis of Abhishek Manu Singhvi's CD.
Abandoned by both Sweden and India,
Bofors poured his heart out during the prime time programme and pleaded with
Arnab to get the nation acknowledge his pioneering role in scam-building and
give him the pride of place among the big-ticket scandals. However, he was
shouted down by other panelists.
“Look, things have changed now. Size
does matter. Look at Spectrum, CWG and Adarsh. What is Bofors’ standing in the
market? It is like a Kiranawala taking on a Fortune-500 company. We advise
Bofors to withdraw from race and accept defeat like a true sportsman,” said
Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari.
A mere 64 crore kickbacks was involved
in the Swedish gun deal which is peanuts and does not qualify to be called a
scam, he argued and ridiculed Bofors’ plea to be recognized as the original “Con”gress man. In a rare display of solidarity, the BJP
spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad concurred with his political adversary and
brushed aside Bofors, saying he lacks stature and qualification for a place in
Bhrashtachar Bhavan.
“We have disowned Bangaru Lakshman
because he was caught accepting a mere Rs One lakh in the Tehelka sting
operation. Such a small amount is an affront on our image and stature,” the BJP
leader said.
Being an investigator, adjudicator and
moral policeman rolled into one, Arnab declared that Bofors belongs to the BPL
category of scams and does not serve the purpose of enhancing the TRPs of his
channel.
“Tonight, the nation wants to know why inequalities exist among the
scandals which are a pride of the nation. Your channel will work tirelessly to
remove these inequalities and provide a level playing field for all scamsters,”
the ace anchor concluded, before moving on to the next story to put the country’s
leading nutritionists on trial for failing to check Aishwarya Rai’s overweight.
