BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday (October 18, 2025) accused former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of exerting undue influence in the aircraft purchase case of Indian Airlines in 1977. Dubey said he intervened to seal the deal with Boeing for a 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. He wrote, “Rahul Gandhi ji, did your father buy three Boeing aircraft from Air India instead of Airbus in 1977 because of the commission? Did your father attend meetings illegally without any authority? Did the opposition of the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry to the commission not apply to your family?”
what is the whole matter
The controversy began in the last months of the Emergency during the tenure of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when Indian Airlines had decided to purchase 3 Boeing 737 aircraft. The deal was later investigated by the Shah Commission, which was set up to investigate excesses during the Emergency in 1977. The commission found that the process was rushed and bypassed established procedures, pointing to irregularities in decision-making and the unusual presence of Rajiv Gandhi, who was an Indian Airlines pilot at the time, at official meetings.
The findings of the Shah Commission highlighted that Rajiv Gandhi had attended an important meeting in September 1976, where financial projections were presented in favor of Boeing by the Finance Director. The commission said his involvement was ‘completely contrary to business practice’ and questioned why a pilot had knowledge of confidential financial discussions.
what was said in the report
The report also said that the contract with Boeing was signed 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, was said to have faced resistance from both the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry, but was reportedly moved forward under instructions from Indira Gandhi’s office.
Dubey has described Rajiv Gandhi as an agent of Swedish military company
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 allegations. He said in a post on X, “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?”
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinet, at a press conference on Thursday, cited election affidavits and raised questions over the huge increase in Dubey’s wife’s assets from Rs 50 lakh in 2009 to Rs 31.32 crore by 2024. He said that the corruption case related to Dubey is so serious that the 56-year-old BJP MP may lose his Parliament membership from Godda constituency.
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