The World - News from July 21, 1989

India’s opposition parties brought Parliament to a halt for a second day, demanding that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi resign over bribes they allege were paid in a major defense deal. The opposition insisted that Gandhi quit after the government auditor and comptroller general pointed out serious lapses in selecting Swedish Bofors artillery in a 1986 contract worth $1.3 billion. The opposition forced adjournments in both the lower and upper house by stalling scheduled business. The Bofors scandal last year seriously dented Gandhi’s popularity following widespread allegations that commissions were paid to middlemen despite an agreement with the Swedish company that no agents would be used.