Amitabh was dragged into Bofors scandal as part of a ‘vicious campaign’: Chitra Subramaniam

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was unfairly linked to the Bofors scandal through a fabricated report that falsely associated him with a secret Swiss account allegedly used for kickbacks from the Swedish arms company, journalist Chitra Subramaniam has revealed. She described the episode as part of a “vicious campaign” aimed at dragging him into the controversy.
In an interview with IANS, Subramaniam stated, “No, there was absolutely no shred of evidence that he (Amitabh Bachchan) had taken any money. But the water had been muddied so much that by the time the water could be cleaned up, the damage had been done.”

She further pointed out the weight carried by the Bachchan surname, saying, “And you know how it is like, imagine the name of the Bachchans, I mean it's a big name…”
Subramaniam’s latest book, Boforsgate: A Journalist’s Pursuit of Truth, details the pressures she faced while investigating claims linking the Bachchans—Amitabh and his brother Ajitabh—to the scandal. She accuses certain figures in the government and media at the time of deliberately trying to implicate the actor, who was then an MP representing Allahabad in the Lok Sabha.

Referring to the allegations of a “sixth account” supposedly linked to the Bachchans, she dismissed it outright: “And you say the sixth account... there was no sixth account. It didn't exist... it was planted by the Indian government officials.”

She also criticised some government officials and members of the media for their casual approach to serious allegations. “You don't speak loosely as a journalist... if you are a journalist of stature or an official of stature, you don't speak loosely, throwing names here and there. You know the office of the Solicitor General of India, or the CBI (the Central Bureau of Investigation) meeting the office of the Swiss authorities, you don't speak around loosely. Every word is precious, whatever you say, you must be careful...,” she emphasised.

The book also recounts a meeting where an Indian delegation, which included top officials, mentioned the Bachchans along with certain Italian relatives of the then Prime Minister. Subramaniam recalls traveling with this delegation to Switzerland in 1990, where she was told about a supposed “sixth account” that could not be blocked because it was linked to an unnamed individual not mentioned in the FIR. According to her, Swiss authorities were given a list of names, including the Bachchans, and were allegedly led to believe that they were involved. She believes the attempt to implicate them was prompted by their close association with the Gandhi family.

Despite making 18 calls to her sources—code-named “Snowman” in Switzerland and “Sting” in Sweden—Subramaniam was unable to find any evidence linking the Bachchans to the scandal. “I needed a break,” both sources told her. However, the story was soon published in two Swedish newspapers and subsequently picked up by several Indian publications.

Subramaniam noted that she was questioned by many about why she hadn’t reported on the claims, but she stood by her journalistic integrity, insisting she would only publish information that could be independently verified. In the end, she was proven right.

She also recalls an evening when the Bachchans visited her home for dinner, and their conversation eventually turned to the Bofors case. She told Amitabh Bachchan that she had found no evidence against him.

When asked whether Bachchan’s decision to remain silent on the matter and resign as an MP in 1987 had worked against him, Subramaniam defended him, saying he was “a gentleman to the core”. She added, “What can you say if the accusation is so false, where do you even begin?”

Subramaniam first contacted Ajitabh Bachchan in Switzerland, but was denied a meeting when she went to his residence. Later, he reached out to her over the phone, which eventually led to her meeting Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. She recalls being impressed by Amitabh’s vast knowledge beyond cinema.

However, her refusal to endorse the false narrative against the Bachchans led to personal attacks and defamatory stories about her in some sections of the Indian media at the time.

Reflecting on the motives behind dragging Amitabh Bachchan into the controversy, she remarked, “And now, when I think back, people have asked me why do you think he (Amitabh Bachchan) was brought in, I think there was envy. The man was... he didn't need the money, he didn't need the fame, he was somebody on his own. You needed to crush him... and the viciousness of it all, it was horrible.”

IANS