Agusta Westland Chopper: Bribe-Takers Must Be Identified, Says Finance Minister
NEW DELHI :In Parliament, the BJP asked for a discussion on the Agusta scam in both houses. To prove it has nothing to hide, the Congress also sought a discussion about the contract for helicopters ordered in 2010 and cancelled in 2013.
An Italian court has convicted two executives of Agusta Westland’s parent company for offering bribes to land the India deal.
“The identity of the bribe-givers has been established…now the identity of the bribe takers” has to be revealed, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament.
The BJP has decided to target Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in parliament after documents placed in the Italian court referred to her as “the driving force” in the decision to acquire the helicopters for 3,600 crore.The documents also refer to Dr Manmohan Singh, who was then Prime Minister.
The government today said that the “identity of the bribe takers” in the AgustaWestland scam, which involved an order for 12 helicopters for the use of VVIPs, must be established. The ruling BJP says that Sonia Gandhi and other top Congress leaders have been implicated in the scam – a point the Congress disputed in Parliament.
An Italian court has convicted two executives of AgustaWestland’s parent company for offering bribes to land the India deal. “The identity of the bribe-givers has been established…now the identity of the bribe-takers” has to be revealed, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament.
The BJP has decided to target Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in Parliament after documents placed in the Italian court referred to her as “the driving force” in the decision to acquire the helicopters for Rs. 3,600 crore. “All the accusations they are throwing at us are false,” Mrs Gandhi said.
The documents also refer to Dr Manmohan Singh, who was then Prime Minister. “There is no case, my party will respond on this,” he told today.
The Congress says that once talk of kickbacks erupted in Italy, it cancelled the Agusta helicopter deal, blacklisted the company and asked the CBI to investigate the scam.It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who decided, after coming to power, that AgustaWestland is eligible to bid for new defence contracts, the Congress says.
The government today said that the “identity of the bribe takers” in the AgustaWestland scam, which involved an order for 12 helicopters for the use of VVIPs, must be established. The ruling BJP says that Sonia Gandhi and other top Congress leaders have been implicated in the scam – a point the Congress disputed in Parliament.
An Italian court has convicted two executives of AgustaWestland’s parent company for offering bribes to land the India deal. “The identity of the bribe-givers has been established…now the identity of the bribe-takers” has to be revealed, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament.
The BJP has decided to target Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in Parliament after documents placed in the Italian court referred to her as “the driving force” in the decision to acquire the helicopters for Rs. 3,600 crore. “All the accusations they are throwing at us are false,” Mrs Gandhi said.
The documents also refer to Dr Manmohan Singh, who was then Prime Minister. “There is no case, my party will respond on this,” he told today.
The Congress says that once talk of kickbacks erupted in Italy, it cancelled the Agusta helicopter deal, blacklisted the company and asked the CBI to investigate the scam.It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who decided, after coming to power, that AgustaWestland is eligible to bid for new defence contracts, the Congress says.
The BJP’s Subramanian Swamy, known Gandhi family baiter and a Rajya Sabha member since yesterday, has moved a notice for discussion in the upper house while the party’s Meenakshi Lekhi has moved a similar notice in the Lok Sabha.
At an emergency Congress meeting at Sonia Gandhi’s residence this morning were the party’s top speakers in Parliament like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Anand Sharma.The Italians claim that then Air Force chief SP Tyagi received kickbacks for the contract. He has denied any wrongdoing.
At an emergency Congress meeting at Sonia Gandhi’s residence this morning were the party’s top speakers in Parliament like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Anand Sharma.The Italians claim that then Air Force chief SP Tyagi received kickbacks for the contract. He has denied any wrongdoing.
