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The Chitra Subramaniam Chat

Do you know what Solanki's letter said? And how gave it to him? Could it have beenRao who is close to the Hindujas?

one more thing:today Mog! is using ...count them ... 7 heads, all fairly intelligent and from media/sarkar AND 'other agencies'...a turban and a smile shud not be interpreted as signs of stupidity, OK????

Rajiv's downfall and subsequent death were all an off shoot of Bofor's . Your comment ..

Mog, explain yourself, and if you must speak, can it be in English, the language on this Chat.

Martin Ardbo's diaries reveal a lot. The reason the Swedes cannot go after him in the Bofors case is because according to Swedish law, they can ivestigate bribes only if there's evidence of a Swede getting paid, etc. So far there's been no evidence of that. But who knows? On the other hand, it is crucial to talk to Martin Ardbo about the case. He knows more than any other person about who got what.

Mog, explain yourself, and if you must speak, can it be in English, the language on this Chat.

GOODNIGHT

What is wrong with the Hindujas getting a commission? It is perfectly justified if they have been a go between? The only ones who should be crucified are the people in government who got paid for favours done.

Getting away from the obvious Bofors question for a bit - How difficult is it to become a journalist in India? How many years did it take you for instance to become a correspondent for the Hindu?

Have any Indian agents spoken to Ardbo? How many times have you spoken to him? What does he say? Is Olaf Palme the only person associated with the deal who was killed? I remember reading some other Swedes died too.

Chitra, Do you think the Gandhi family (Sonia, Priyanka, etc) should be held accountable if the papers explicitly mention Rajeev as one of the culprits ?

What is wrong with the Hindujas getting a commission? It is perfectly justified if they have been a go between? The only ones who should be crucified are the people in government who got paid for favours done.

How much money was finally paid?

Solanki's letter said the investigation in this country should be stopped. And while we are on it, why has the CBI not tried to find out what the whole Solanki episode was all about? Five years is a long time, no? And while we are still on it, does anybody know what the CBI has done about any investigation in the country other than mutter things like ''the guilty will be punished,'' ''the nation will learn the truth'' and other such blah. I know I am repeating myself, but the CBI is part of the problem.

Do you think Olaf Palme was involved too?

Chitra, Do you think the Gandhi family (Sonia, Priyanka, etc) should be held accountable if the papers explicitly mention Rajeev as one of the culprits ?

How much money was finally paid?

Do you think some CBI officers in the past have been paid off to go slow on the investigation? Do you think there was a mole in the CBI who passed on information to the recepients?

What is wrong with the Hindujas getting a commission? It is perfectly justified if they have been a go between? The only ones who should be crucified are the people in government who got paid for favours done.

I don't think that any other members of the Gandhi family should be dragged into this. The point to retain is that these were decisions taken by the prime minister of India in his capacity as leader of the govenment. We have to really sit down and ask why the system failed and continues to fail. More than the question of money is one of faith - if elected leaders cannot live up to their role, they should do something else. I think the Bofors story was more one of loss of faith than anything else. As for the amount, Bofors was supposed to pay anything between 10-12 per cent of 1.3 billion dollars. There's evidence of $50 million but most people I speak to say the rest was most likely paid.

Chitra,Indians are by and large becoming immune to corruption.When people in high places are involved it becomes a juicy scandal for years.If an ordinary man has to survive he has to pay bribes whether to get a driving licence or a telephone or just to continue his bussiness in peace.these things affect our life more than a win chada or a hinduja.When will a Chitra come to our rescue?

Getting away from the obvious Bofors question for a bit - How difficult is it to become a journalist in India? How many years did it take you for instance to become a correspondent for the Hindu?

WATCH OUT!

I have no idea if the CBI has instructions to go slow on this case, but so far their performance has been pathetic, if not comical. The organisation has good officers, but unfortunately, the system is not responding. I mean just take a look at our politicians -- is it any wonder that the CBI which owes its bread and butter to the set up will be any different?

Chitra, many thanks for your kindness. God bless and all the best!

What is wrong with the Hindujas getting a commission? It is perfectly justified if they have been a go between? The only ones who should be crucified are the people in government who got paid for favours done.

Rita, your're right. We have come to a situation where we have to bribe to get what is rightfully ours. gas connections, telephone connections, children's admission. I don't think most of us have the time and the energy to change the system. But surely we have the right to shout when people elected to high offices cheat us. You and I don't have public positions and I am sure in our daily lives we try and be as honest as possible. But I think the scales are different when you are the prime minister of a country when the top is rotten, it is a very different story. And thank god we are a democracy. it's bad, things are dreadful and hopless at times, but there are also clear signs of hope.

I am signing off now. I don't know about you, but I had a lot of fun. Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement. Thank you Nikhil for haviing me. goodbye, Chitra

Thank you, Chitra. It was wonderful.

Thanks You Chitra !!!.

Thanks, Chitra.

bulls eye; u still there