Cong fears I-T ruling will give oppn more ammo

NEW DELHI: There are worries in Congress that IT tribunal's order on Quattrochhi has the ammunition to trouble the party as it comes in the middle of the opposition's aggressive campaign against the Centre over corruption.

Congress feels the timing of the IT order is tricky and not the "so-called new facts" on Bofors issue which is past its use-by date.

The discussions in Congress have led to a conclusion that the party position has not changed after the IT order.

AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "We are not concerned about individuals like SK Bhatnagar or Win Chaddha or Quattrochhi. We are not worried if Chaddha has to pay the tax or not. Our only concern is the fair name of Congress and Rajiv Gandhi. Nothing has been produced linking Rajiv Gandhi with any payment in last 22 years which have included the NDA rule."

The political cost of the IT order is seen to lie in its timing as it comes when Congress is trying its best to emerge from the CWG and 2G mess in the face of a united opposition campaign.

A renewed Bofors bogey from the Opposition may feed into its charge that UPA had turned down the demand for JPC to stop the truth behind the scams from coming out. "It may aggravate the situation despite common knowledge that the Bofors case has been quashed in the courts," an AICC officebearer said.

A Bofors-fuelled BJP-Left aggression could take sheen off the anti-corruption agenda that Congress has unveiled to blunt accusations.