The NDA-Congress battle over the AgustaWestland chopper deal was taken to the Kerala Assembly poll scene on Saturday with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley terming as a figment of imagination the theory that the company was blacklisted during the UPA rule and this was lifted by the NDA regime and former Defence Minister AK Antony daring the Narendra Modi Government to take action against the givers and takers of bribe if there was evidence.
Targeting Antony for his statement that the former UPA Government had blacklisted AgustaWestland-Finmeccanica after the issue of bribe in the chopper deal came out, Jaitley said while talking to newsmen after releasing the Vision Document of the Kerala NDA for the Assembly poll that the statement was incorrect.
“This is a figment of somebody’s imagination,” Jaitley said alleging that the decision to award the contract was influenced by bribery. “The buck stops with those who took the decision (to award the contract) and the decision was influenced by bribery. There is this fact that bribery was unquestionably there,” the Union Minister said.
Stating that there was a transaction in which the bribe-giver was being convicted, Jaitley said, “We are only struggling to find out the taker of the bribe… Strangers do not get bribes. Obviously, the bribe-taker has to be among those who influenced to award the contract,” Jaitley said.
Antony, who was in Thiruvananthapuram to campaign for the Congress-led ruling UDF, sought to hit back at Jaitley and the BJP by reiterating that the bribe-giver — the company — was part of the Make in India campaign of the NDA Government and daring the Centre to take “strong” action against the bribe-givers and bribe-takers if there was any evidence.
“Why delay if there is evidenceIJ The Italian court has convicted the bribe-giver. Please take action against the bribe-taker. The CBI, the Enforcement Directorate are all with them (NDA),” the Congress Working Committee member said asserting that no names had been revealed in the Italian court at any stage.