It may sound strange, but Independent India has at least one major scam for almost every alphabet of the English language…
A for Adarsh
Mumbai's high rise Adarsh Housing Society was meant for Kargil war widows and veterans. However top Army brass, politicians and bureaucrats who had nothing to do with Kargil were allotted flats. Construction clearances were also suspect. A Maharashtra Chief Minister's head rolled.
B for Bofors
In the 1980s, Rajiv Gandhi's government was alleged to have received kickbacks in the Bofors Howitzer guns scandal. While there were no high-level convictions, Bofors became a scam brand name and Rajiv was booted out of power with a greatly reduced Lok Sabha share.
B is also for Barak Missile scandal and Belikere Port scam.
Image: A soldier cleans the nameplate of the controversial Bofors gun, which was the subject of an arms deal investigation, during the practice session for the forth-coming Republic Day celebration parade in Kolkata, on January 22, 2006.
Copyright AFP. Any unauthorised reproduction is prohibited
