Ironically, prior to this scandal, Vajpayee's party might have been the most likely to suggest such a reform. After this, however, it looks pretty much interchangeable with its rivals. The BJP has also staked a good deal of its reputation on the issue of national security, whether during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan or the continuing insurgency in India's northeast. Now that too looks compromised by a controversy, centred on the purchase of nonexistent thermal-imaging binoculars, that has made defence deals appear to be open to manipulation and bribery. One response will be to delay decisions on major arms purchases currently in the pipeline.
Corruption related to defence is another.
Arms deals have long been a political fault line here, periodically shaking the foundations of power. One of the more recent and infamous, the Bofors scandal, seriously weakened the Congress government headed by the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1987. Today the case is still moving through the courts. In other words, barring any further revelations, the BJP government looks safe for now. Still, that slender margin means it is even more beholden to its allies such as the Telugu Desam Party, which supports the government with a key 29 seats and is led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.