Rajiv Gandhi influenced 1977 Boeing deal: Nishikant Dubey

New Delhi, October 18 (IANS). BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday accused former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of exercising undue influence in the 1977 Indian Airlines aircraft purchase case by interfering in the deal with Boeing for personal commission instead of choosing Airbus, despite opposition from key government bodies. In a post on social media platform ‘X’, Dubey targeted Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and questioned his father’s alleged involvement. In the post ‘ The controversy began in the last months of the emergency during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when Indian Airlines decided to buy three Boeing 737 aircraft. Later, the transaction was investigated by the Shah Commission, which was set up to investigate the violations committed during the Emergency in 1977. The commission found that the process was rushed and established procedures were circumvented, pointing to irregularities in decision-making and the unusual presence of Rajiv Gandhi, who was an Indian Airlines official at the time, at the meeting. The findings of the Shah Commission highlighted that Rajiv Gandhi attended an important meeting in September 1976, where financial projections in favor of Boeing were presented by the Finance Director. The commission said his involvement was ‘completely contrary to business process’ and questioned why a pilot would have knowledge of confidential financial discussions. Dubey shared excerpts from the commission’s report, which detailed procedural lapses and noted that the deal violated all standard rules and requirements and provided no evidence of comparative tests or feasibility studies. The report also said that the signing of the contract with Boeing took place even after the technical completion of the company’s offer, indicating undue haste and political pressure on the part of the Prime Minister’s office. The purchase, worth Rs 30.55 crore, is said to have faced opposition from both the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry, but was pushed through on instructions from Indira Gandhi’s office. Testimony from witnesses before the Shah Commission cited political interference and irregularities in the deal, further bolstering allegations of corruption and abuse of power. Earlier on Friday, Dubey had made a sensational allegation against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that he had worked as an agent of a Swedish military company in the 1970s. The BJP MP also shared a document on social media to confirm his claim. In a post on X, he said, “Rahul Gandhi ji’s father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ji, was an agent of a Swedish military company, that is, he was involved in brokerage in the 70s?” MP Dubey’s scathing attack on the Gandhi family and the former prime minister comes a day after the Congress party leveled allegations against his wife, accusing the couple of ‘hoarding’ assets disproportionate to their declared income. Citing election affidavits at a press conference on Thursday, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinet raised questions about the huge increase in Dubey’s wife’s assets from Rs 50 lakh in 2009 to Rs 31.32 crore by 2024. He said the corruption case involving the Dubey MP membership was so serious that his 56-year-old MP is so serious. of Godda constituency. –IANS VKU/DSC