NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday continued its tirade on the Bofors issue, charging the CBI with making a u-turn. The agency, it said, maintained that the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi was still an accused in the Bofors case and yet justified its decision to inform the British prosecution that there was no clinching evidence to link the money held by Mr. Quattrocchi in two British bank accounts to the Bofors payoffs.

"The CBI's credibility has been a casualty," said party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, adding that "a question mark has been put on the trustworthiness of this agency."

The party also wanted to know why the CBI did not inform the country about the Bofors-related developments and why it hid the fact that it had information about the de-freezing of Mr. Quattrocchi's accounts. It said the Government must now "find out" where Mr. Quattrocchi had transferred the funds held by him in the two accounts.

Rajnath meets RSS leader

BJP president Rajnath Singh met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Mohan Rao Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in Jhandewalan here to discuss several important issues, including the ideological direction to be given to the party.

Mr. Singh has reportedly finalised the party's central office bearers.

It is unclear as to who would get the post of BJP general secretary in place of Sanjay Joshi, who recently resigned following a sting operation. Mr. Singh has hinted that the job is traditionally held by a "pracharak" of the RSS, and that he could consider splitting it and entrusting different zones to different persons.

Mr. Singh is expected to announce his team soon after January 20, when the National Council meeting here will ratify his selection as party president.

He did not turn up at the party demonstration here on the Bofors issue.

The official spokesperson said he had urgent engagements. "Mr. Singh will participate in Bofors related protest demonstrations in other parts of the country," Mr. Javadekar said.

Questioning Quattrocchi

PTI reports:

The CBI Tuesday indicated that it would question Mr. Quattrocchi in Italy. The agency would begin a fresh probe into the trail of Rs. 21 crore, parked in two bank accounts in London, sources said.

The freeze on the accounts was withdrawn on January 11 by the British High Court after Additional Solicitor-General B. Dutta conveyed to Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that there was no evidence to link the money in the accounts with the Bofors case.

The money has reportedly been transferred by Mr. Quattrocchi.

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