Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the "self-proclaimed chowkidar", take immediate action against Defence Ministry officials for allegedly receiving kickbacks of Rs 17.5 crore in purchase of spares for the IAF's An-32 transport aircraft.
"Ministry Of Defence, India (MODI) officials, accused of making millions of dollars in kickbacks via Dubai by the Ukrainian Government in the An-32 deal. Modiji, as our self-proclaimed chokidar, I urge you to take immediate action against your corrupt MODI officials," Rahul said in a tweet.
The party asked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to respond to the "serious" allegation that kickbacks to the tune of Rs 17.55 crore were paid for the procurement of spares of AN-32 military aircraft by India.
At a press conference, Congress leader Manish Tewari, citing a media report on the alleged kickbacks, also demanded that the Government should come out with details of the contract and not sweep it under the carpet "as was the case" in the Rafale deal.
"There seems to be trouble in paradise, the Ministry of Defence," Tewari said, adding that the contract for the AN-32 spares was signed in November 2014 during the tenure of the BJP-led NDA Government.
Tewari raised five questions over the defence deal and sought the reply of the Government saying he hoped that it would "not sweep the matter under the carpet".
He asked whether it is a fact that the anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine sought legal assistance from the home ministry in February this year. The Congress leader said the Government "misused" the confidentiality clause and hid behind it following allegations of wrongdoing in the Rafale deal.
Tewari sought to know whether it is a fact that the terms of contract were not fulfilled and the Ministry of defence signed a statement of completion which facilitated the transfer of the alleged illegal gratification.
"This is actually the nub of the entire issue and the Government must respond. What has been the response so far of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence to the request of the Ukrainian GovernmentIJ" he said.
"If this Government believes in transparency and probity and if it abides by the slogan of 'na khata hun, na khane deta hun' ((we don't take bribes nor let others to do so), then why have you been hiding these facts from the people. The moment the request came from the Ukrainian Government it should have been put out in the public space," he said.
The Congress had raised several questions about the Rs 58,000-crore Rafale deal also. But the Government had refused to divulge the details of the deal, citing a confidentiality pact between India and France.