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Cameron assured “full cooperation”, underscoring the UK had recently introduced anti-bribery laws and would take stringent action against those found guilty. India and the UK also decided to launch negotiations for a civil nuclear cooperation deal, among other things.
The issue of UK telecom giant Vodafone Plc, which is engaged in a bitter tax dispute with the Indian government, was also raised when Singh met Cameron here on Tuesday.
Besides, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday offered a JPC and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid denied there were differences in the government on cancellation of the deal.
The usually taciturn Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) divulged information freely: It said its team, currently in Italy to help chivvy the case forward, had a “useful” meeting with a lawyer the government had hired in Italy. It was not clear why this was not done when the names of Indians had first surfaced as bribe-takers in Italian courts.
Meanwhile, Finmeccanica on Tuesday said it was ready to cooperate with Indian authorities to clarify the matter.
Defence Minister A K Antony, at the centre of Opposition parties’ attack, ruled out his resignation and said he was prepared to explain everything in Parliament. Defending him, Nath rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) charge that Antony had misled Parliament on the purchase of the choppers and that his style of functioning had resulted in the alleged scam.
“Antony did not mislead Parliament. What does BJP want him to do? Work according to BJP’s style? Thank goodness he does not work like that,” Nath said.
BJP President Rajnath Singh said his party would raise the chopper scam issue in Parliament forcefully. “I am demanding a comprehensive investigation into this scam. Whoever is guilty should be punished,” he said. His party colleague, Yashwant Sinha, said: “The government will have to come out with the truth, not only about whether the deal has been cancelled or is on but also on who is the ultimate beneficiary of the kickbacks.”
Reacting to BJP’s allegations that the defence ministry was “sleeping” over the reports of corruption in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP helicopter deal, Antony said: “I cannot wake up anybody who is sleeping.”
The defence ministry had started taking action on the issue the day the first media reports in this regard came in, he said. He insisted there were no differences between ministries on scrapping of the deal.
“There is no end to human greed and still greedy people (sic) are working around the world,” Antony said, pointing out that though six firms had been blacklisted for bribery in India, the practice continued.
CAMERON-SINGH TALKS
Highlights of the prime minister’s meeting with his UK counterpart
- India seeks UK’s assistance on the AugustaWestland helicopter deal
- UK promises to help India fight graft
- India, UK to launch negotiations for a civil nuke cooperation pact
- UK urges stronger cyber security laws for its data; announces a joint programme
- Both sides agree to fight against tax avoidance and tax evasion under DTAC, signed in Oct 2012
- UK promises to remove barriers to investment; assures relaxed visa regime for Indian businessmen
- India seeks UK’s help in building the Mumbai- Bangalore industrial corridor; invites it to invest in the National Manufacturing and Investment Zones
- Both sides agree to double bilateral merchandise trade by 2015
- UK urges rapid progress in concluding the India-EU FTA talks
