New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) The BJP on Wednesday stepped up attack against Congress party on Bofors controversy with the party leader and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti wanting to know why former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi chose to silence his own Minister VP Singh. "Who were offering bribe? Why did a Congress leader (Rajiv Gandhi) chose to silence his own minister (VP Singh)? For too long the Congress has kept conveniently quiet," Ms Irani told reporters here. She said it is time that the Congress party answers as to what was the role of Congress leaders "then and now". The observation from Ms Irani, often seen as chief bete-noire for Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi parliamentary constituency comes close on the heels of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announcing that it would look into the "facts and circumstances" of the Bofors scam mentioned by private detective Michael Hershman. The detective has in a recent interview alleged that the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government in 1980s had sabotaged his investigation on Bofors gun deal. The then Finance Minister VP Singh had reportedly enlisted his services. Ms Irani alleged: "The Congress has a tendency to either bribe or give threats to people looking into dubious deals involving its leaders". Referring to media reports, Ms Irani even directed her ire against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and said, they have been shown to be too eager to grab undue benefits whether it is a matter of an air ticket upgrade or a scam like the Bofors deal. She referred to private detective Michael Hershman's interviews to some television channels and maintained that the detective was asked by the then Finance Minister VP Singh to look into the Bofors deal but was later asked to change the course of the probe. Ms Irani also spoke about high-profile politics of 1980s when under much controversial circumstance, the then Finance Minister VP Singh was shifted to the Defence Ministry. Even detective Hershman was threatened with life, Ms Irani said. A Pakistani-run Bank of Credit and Commerce International, also allegedly involved in money laundering also had met Congress leaders, she alleged. The Minister also said the Congress should have filed a defamation suit against Hershman if it believed he was wrong as she noted that Jay Shah, BJP chief Amit Shah's son, had done so. In the press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra spoke about BJP's victory in 1,311 Gram Panchayat seats against 312 of the Congress in Maharashtra. "For the BJP, the party is family and for the Congress, the family is party," he said. UNI DEVN SHK 1944