AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI, Apr 29: BJP and Congress today launched a privilege war in Parliament as Amit Shah attacked Sonia Gandhi again asking her to explain a “number of relaxations” given to tainted chopper manufacturer AugustaWestland that he said “compromised” nation’s interests.
Targeting Gandhi, he raised questions telling Congress that instead of adopting an attitude of “thief scolding the cop” should feel “ashamed” and “come clean”.
Following up on his demand yesterday that Gandhi should name the bribe takers in the Rs.3,600 crore deal, Shah demanded that Gandhi should answer the questions to people of the nation regarding the deal.
The Congress hit back and dared the Government to come out with the truth in the deal in the next two months instead of issuing threats and launching a “malicious” campaign.
“If Government has the guts, it should come out with truth in the matter in the next two months when the Monsoon session of Parliament will commence”, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters.
Subramanian Swamy, who has needled Congress on the issue for the past two days, tabled a breach of privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha against Azad for his statement that the then UPA Government had blacklisted Finmeccanica, the parent company of AugustaWestland.
The Congress countered it by giving a similar notice against the Defence Ministry for making a statement on the deal outside the House when Parliament is in session.
Shah told the media in Ahmedabad, “there was a provision in the tender that it can be filed by original equipment manufacturers only but you allowed AgustaWestland International Limited to fill the tender in spite of the fact that the company in its 2012 report had made it public that it was not original equipment manufacturer.
He asked Gandhi on whose instruction this permission was given to it (company), why they were declared technically qualified and on whose instructions the conditions of the tender were breached.
“As per tender specifications, there was a condition of taking field evaluation trials in India, but it was changed overnight and the company was allowed to give field trials in their own company premises,” Shah said raising another question.
“Has this not compromised the seriousness of trials and or has this not compromised India’s interest. If then Defence Minister had given a go ahead for it (change of tender condition), then Congress president should answer on whose instruction he gave the permission,” Shah said.
Raising another question Shah wanted to know why there was delay in putting the deal on the hold when Italian media reported about bribe being exchanged in the case.
Shah further said that the Congress is claiming that all the money given to the company as bank guarantee have come back but it is far from truth as only a part of that money has come back.
“The Congress president should come before the people and media and should give answers to these questions,” Shah said.
Shah had yesterday targeted Gandhi over the VVIP chopper scam and asked her to name those who received the “kickbacks”.
On the other side, making light of the attacks on the Congress and its leadership, Azad posed the question whether his party and the UPA leadership would have taken several steps to unravel the truth in the matter if they had something to hide or if they had resorted to corruption.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister and the Government, he alleged that the entire Government has been tasked to target the Congress and its leadership day in and day out on the issue. “It is all disinformation, a malicious campaign”.
“They have the entire Government with them, the CBI, RAW and Ed…Why they are not finding out as to who is guilty, who has taken money”, Azad said.
He ignored threat of BJP member Subramanian Swamy to move a Breach of Privilege against him for his remarks that UPA had blacklisted Finmeccanica. He said generally breach of privilege is moved against Ministers if they mislead despite having all the information.
Asked whether Congress was ready to have a discussion in Parliament on the issue, he said “we are ready for any discussion. We have nothing to hide. We are demanding an early decision by Government” to find out the truth.
Dismissing BJP’s charge that the Congress had compromised national security in the chopper deal, he said that the national security had got compromised when in the Vajpayee Government, the then External Affairs Minister had accompanied dreaded terrorists to Kandahar.
“National Security gets compromised when we see defence files are selectively leaked to TV channels”, he said in an apparent jibe at the Modi dispensation.
Party spokesman R P N Singh accused the Defence Ministry of coming out with “half truths” in its clarification on the deal yesterday.
Hitting out at the BJP, Azad cautioned it over the campaign. “Those who stay in glass houses, do not throw stones”.
“The less he speaks, it will be better”, he said in a dismissive tone when told that BJP chief Amit Shah has come out with fresh questions for the Congress leadership.
He claimed that the campaign against the Congress was aimed at diverting people’s attention from the “failure” of the Government to deliver. “They had promised the moon, but (what people got) was drought and water scarcity”. (PTI)
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