"My first reaction is shock... How can anybody say this, on what basis?" Tyagi told NDTV when asked whether he was involved in the VVIP chopper scam.
"They have blamed me for corrupt practices in which I changed the height to assist AgustaWestland, although this decision was not against the public interest. But I was nevertheless being (called) corrupt," the former IAF chief said.
"It would appear that the part of the loot came to me. I am shocked," he said.
"Same evidence was now produced in High Court. They seem to feel that it was done in corrupt practices. Why they have said it I am not in a position to comment," he said.
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Asked pointedly whether he had received money for the Augusta deal, Tyagi said, "No, no, no, no. This question hurts me."
On the change of height parameter of the helicopters, Tyagi said this is in public domain why the height was changed and who changed it.
He said it involved two governments led by NDA and UPA and the National Security Advisors of both the governments were part of the meetings.
"They insisted on SPG and SPG got into it. They did not like the height, they did not like the single window...These are all in the public domain," he said.
Defending himself, he said, "Proforma clearance was given to me. The decision must have been taken by the government. The users were VVIP. IAF was not the user. SPG had to be consulted, therefore PMO stepped in. Otherwise PMO does not come into air force purchase. They took the decision and they asked the air force to change the requirement."
When told that Congress president Sonia Gandhi's name came up repeatedly for allegedly lobbying for the deal, Tyagi said, "All the documents available with Italian court are also available to investigating agencies. For the past three years, the investigating agencies have looked into all these documents. They have interviewed former Cabinet Secretary, former NSA, former DG of SPG."