The Congress and the BJP engaged in a slugfest Sunday, with the opposition party alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government were AgustaWestland's protectors and promoters, while the saffron party accused it of defending Christian Michel and asked why it was scared of a probe into the case.
While the Congress said it would probe the "collusion" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government with the company once it comes to power in 2019, the BJP condemned it for allegedly giving the issue a political colour. The ruling party asked why the name of a Gandhi family member cropped up whenever a foreigner was caught for corruption.
The war of words started a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told a court that Christian Michel, an alleged middleman, had made a reference to "Mrs Gandhi".
Terming the ED an "embarrassing disaster" under the NDA, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that Modi and his government were a "protector, benefactor and promoter" of AgustaWestland.
Using the barb that 'chowkidaar dagdaar hai' (watchman is tainted) against Modi, the opposition party said that after the BJP came to power at the Centre, the Defence Ministry lifted the ban on the company imposed during the UPA rule and even allowed it to bid for 100 naval utility helicopters.
"The ED may save the Modi government today, but when it is voted out of power in 2019, we are committed to fully investigate the collusion of the PM and his government with AgustaWestland," Surjewala told reporters.
"Under Modi, the ED has become an embarrassing disaster," he said.
Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress was "jittery" since Michel's extradition and its fears were evident as it sought to provide cover to him in court.
"Ever since Michel has been brought to India, the Congress expectedly is nervous and jittery and that is coming to the fore, as was evident at its press conference today," Trivedi claimed at a press conference.
Asking why the Congress was "scared" of investigation into the case, he said the opposition party should allow the law to take its due course and the truth about corruption in will come out.
"I want to ask a pertinent question, whenever in the last 30-32 years the names of any foreign national cropped up in corruption cases in India, be it Anderson, Ottavio Quattrochi, Guido Haschke or Christian Michel, why were all of them found to be linked with the Gandhi family...why are they linked to a member of the Gandhi family," he asked.
Surjewala earlier claimed that the Modi government is on its way out and "a panic-stricken Modi government and its puppet ED will not be able to change the 'exit date and fate' of a government and the PM, already rejected by the people".
He said the Congress is committed to order an investigation to examine the role of Modi and his government into the sordid saga of Agusta Westland.
Surjewala alleged that the government was pressuring Michel to make a "false" statement against the Gandhi family and dared it to place in public domain any evidence it has against the Congress leadership.
"They are using Michel as a sounding board to defend its own wrong doings and misdeeds. Panicking and running scared, the PM and his government are now raking up controversies to hide their own connivance," he claimed.
"It is now clear that the 'chowkidaar is daagdaar' (the watchman is tainted)," he alleged.
"The PM and his government are hiding behind the cloak of Michel to obfuscate their sheer connivance and complicity in protecting Agusta Westland," he alleged.
Surjewala claimed that Modi and his government "mysteriously" withdrew the blacklisting of Agusta Westland and alleged it sanctioned investment through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
Posing a set of six questions to the government, the Congress leader asked why the Defence Ministry ended the ban on AgustaWestland in July 2014 and made the company a part of the 'Make in India' programme.
BJP leader Trivedi said the question is whether there is corruption in the AugustaWestland case and said that the CBI probe was ordered by the UPA government itself and the issue of corruption came up in Italy.
"This issue was not a political one. There was corruption in the purchase of the helicopters which is linked to national security," he claimed.
"Why are you scared of investigation... Those who have been demanding probe into financial scams are holding press conferences to Michel's defence, in a way.
"We condemn the Congress for giving a political colour to the investigation process and ask them to let there be a fair probe into the matter," he said.
Asked about the Congress' charge of the Modi government ending the blacklisting and allowing them to bid for Navy choppers, the BJP spokesperson said no questions were raised on the quality of the aircraft manufactured by these companies, but on the corruption in the deals.
Trivedi also cited the example of Bofors guns, saying they were found to be of good quality and "that does not mean that the entire corruption in their purchase can be ignored".
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