“You don’t know Constitution; you know Italian Constitution”, he said -his barb directed at Congress members.
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“Congress is trying to mislead people of this country by raising irrelevant questions over the issue”, he said.
He said the investigation into the the AgustaWestland deal started after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre, and former National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and former governor of Goa B. V.Wanchoo, “were questioned only after we came to power”. Another senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said if the Congress had done anything wrong, the UPA government would not have cancelled the deal and taken strong steps against the company. But that is the reason why so many scams happened during the Congress-led UPA government. He said in Congress’s scheme only party chief Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel could have got Antony to relent.
It also said, “the present Government has taken effective action to bring out the truth and will leave no stone unturned in pursuing all means to bring to justice the corrupt and the wrong-doers in this case”.
Gandhi had rejected as “baseless” allegations linking her and party leaders to bribes in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, calling them an attempt at character assassination. “Will Shah also answer why the same “fraud company” was given permission to participate in a defence contract as a “sub-contractor” as also as a “supplier to a contracting party” with the Government of India by an order dated 22.08.2014 of the ministry of defence?” Did those named in the Italian court verdict – politicians, bureaucrats and IAF personnel actually receive a bribe?
The court observed the unmistakable indications regarding the corruption of an Indian Officer, identified as Tyagi Brothers cousin – pointing at Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, the then Chief of Air Staff who reduced height of Agusta Westland Choppers.
“The government is all for a probe in the matter”.
The minister said that since notices have been given in the Lok Sabha on the issue, there will soon be a discussion on the issue in the house.
When the house reassembled, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said Swamy should not name a member from the other house and expunged the name from the records.
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Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier today accused the BJP of conspiring against it and asked three counter questions in connection with the ongoing debate on the AgustaWestland chopper deal controversy.
