Arms Kickback Charges Spark India Legislative Pandemonium

The lower chamber of Parliament was adjourned Tuesday after pandemonium broke out over charges of illegal kickbacks in arms deals.

Determined opposition attempts to call a debate in a move to censure the government were frustrated by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress-I party.

Shouting Matches

The vastly outnumbered opposition members then squatted on the floor of the chamber and refused to allow further proceedings after they were refused the debate.

After Congress-I members advanced toward the opposition, shouting and gesticulating, Deputy Speaker Thambi Durai adjourned the house for the day.

Opposition parties want a debate on $40 million alleged to have been paid to Indian middlemen in connection with a $1.3-billion contract for Swedish arms maker Bofors to supply field artillery to India. Allegations of illegal payments surfaced three months ago.

According to the opposition, Gandhi misled the chamber in a statement he made on the Bofors affair April 28, appearing to say that the Swedish government had confirmed no bribes were paid.

The government, embarrassed by the accusations, wants a parliamentary committee to investigate the allegations.

But opposition members say that rules of proportional representation would leave them in a minority on such a panel.

The opposition heckled, shouted and pelted the Congress-I members with crumpled papers. In the upper chamber of Parliament, there were similar unruly scenes.

Corruption Crusade

The crusade against the government is being led by former Defense Minister Viswanath Pratap Singh, who was sacked from the Congress-I party 10 days ago.

Singh, who has been touring the countryside to focus attention on corruption and graft, has emerged as India’s top corruption fighter and rallying point for the opposition.