Quid Pro Quo
Quid pro quo - Origin 1555 - 65; Latin - literally, something for something.
IN May 1971, Ved Prakash Malhotra, Chief Cashier of State Bank of India, Parliament Street, New Delhi got a call from Indira Gandhi to give Rs. 60 Lakhs to a person who would come to collect it. Malhotra gave the cash and went to the PMO to collect a receipt from the Prime Minister. It was found that the caller was not Indira Gandhi but one Nagarwala who imitated her voice. But why would a cashier in SBI give money on a call from Indira Gandhi when she did not even have an account in the bank? The investigating officer Kashyap died in a car accident and Nagarwala who was caught and put in jail died in jail.
Was there any quid pro quo?
In 1986, Government of India bought guns worth about Rs. 1500 Crores from Bofors. Some middlemen knocked off some Rs. 64 Crores in the deal.
But there was no quid pro quo?
Young enterprising businessmen of the 21st Century are making a few thousands of crores out of thin air by investing in real estate. (Can it be real?) . Is there a quid pro quo - just because they are closely related to some important politicians?