Pranab Mukherjee Interview: MEA denies envoy threatened Swedish daily’s editor

Mukherjee will be in Sweden from May 31 to June 2, followed by a two day trip to Belarus.

In the interview, Mukherjee was quoted as saying that the Bofors controversy was a media trial. (Source: Reuters)

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied that the Indian Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia had threatened the Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, with cancellation of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit if the paper went ahead and published his comments on the Bofors case.

Replying to a question, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “The ambassador made no such threat.”

The ministry also tried to underplay the row with Secretary (West) Navtej Sarna refusing to answer questions on the issue, saying the interview was not relevant to the forthcoming visit of the President.

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In the interview, Mukherjee was quoted as saying that the Bofors controversy was a media trial. India took serious offence to the statement that appeared in print, with the Indian ambassador, Banashri Bose Harrison, charging the paper with “unethical and unprofessional” conduct at having published an “off-the-record” correction.

Mukherjee will be in Sweden from May 31 to June 2, followed by a two day trip to Belarus.

First uploaded on: 29-05-2015 at 00:47 IST

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