The BJP and Congress on Friday engaged in a war of sorts by pressing breach of privilege charges against each other in the Rajya Sabha on Friday over the AgustaWestland chopper scam.
They took on each other outside Parliament too with BJP chief Amit Shah launching his second direct frontal attack in as many days on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, asking her to explain a “number of relaxations” given to AgustaWestland which, he alleged, compromised India’s interests.
An equally belligerent Congress dared the Government to come out with the truth in two months instead of issuing threats.
In the meantime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned former IAF chief SP Tyagi in connection with its money laundering probe into the deal. The Tyagi family has been named by Italian middlemen for having received kickbacks in the deal.
The CBI also summoned former deputy IAF chief JS Gujral for questioning in the AgustaWestland case on Saturday. Gujral had attended national advisory committee meeting in August 2005 in connection with the helicopter procurement.
In a late Friday development, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry released a detailed statement titled “Government’s clarification on issues related to AgustaWestland”, wherein it indirectly hit out at the Congress saying, “a small section of polity questions the speed of the Government processes especially the investigation”.
“But, they do not ask how the corrupt influenced the process of acquisition in the first place and bled the nation. They do not admit corruption; they instead boldly proclaim, ‘catch us if you can’,” it stated, adding CBI has so far investigated over 100 witnesses. “By asking why did the Prime Minister and the BJP Government not take any action on the alleged offer dated November 8, 2015, made by James Christian Michel (fugitive middleman) to be questioned by the CBI and the ED, including on Indian soil, some have even tried to side with a wanted criminal,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued to target the Government, accusing it of inaction and demanding the dissolution of CBI and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
“Amit Shah is asking Sonia with folded hands, ‘please tell us who took bribes’. Is this how a probe is conductedIJ Dissolve the CBI and ACB then,” he said in a series of tweets.
Attacking the Government, Kejriwal asked, “Modi conducted a CBI raid on me, but not on Sonia and Vadra. Modi finds the Gandhi family honest. Modi would have arrested me by now had my name figured in the Italian court order. But (they are) not even probing Sonia. WhyIJ”
The stage for the showdown was set early in the day when newly-nominated MP and senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy gave a breach of privilege notice against leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad for “falsely” claiming that the UPA Government had blacklisted Finmeccanica, the manufacturer of AgustaWestland choppers.
Swamy also raised the issue of paid news in the deal and sought a discussion over reports that money was allegedly given to middlemen for managing the Indian media to produce favourable news on the AgustaWestland deal.
He also challenged the expunging of his comments by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, calling the decision arbitrary, unreasonable and against House rules. Kurien said the Chairman will take a call on the issue.
later, the Congress also gave a notice of breach of privilege against the Defence Ministry for its statement on the deal. “If the Government has guts, it should come out with the truth in the matter in the next two months, when the Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Azad asked if they had something to hide or if they had resorted to corruption, then would the Congress or UPA leadership have taken several steps to unravel the truth in the matterIJ He alleged that the entire Government had been tasked to target the Congress and its leadership day in and day out on the issue. “It is all disinformation, a malicious campaign. They have the entire Government with them, the CBI, RAW and ED...Why are they not finding out who is guilty, who has taken money”, Azad said.
In Ahmedabad, Shah said the deal was “put on hold” only in 2013 after corruption was “proved” and asked the Congress chief to answer who was behind the delay. He said the tender for the purchase of choppers allowed only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) but AgustaWestland was allowed to compete even though it was not an OEM. “I want to ask the Congress president, who was behind the changeIJ Who ensured that the company was found technically qualifiedIJ Who was behind the changes in the tender conditionsIJ” he asked at a Press conference.
When the deal was done, he maintained, one of the conditions was that the field evaluation trial of the choppers would be carried out in India, but it was later changed and the firm was allowed to do so on its premises. “Conditions were changed abruptly. Did it not play with India’s interestsIJ Did it not compromise the seriousness of trialsIJ Did the then Defence Minister give the permissionIJ On whose behest did it happenIJ Sonia Gandhi should answer it too. The Congress chief should herself answer these questions by appearing before the people, by appearing before the media,” he said.