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AgustaWestland: Parrikar vows to go after big fish

Parrikar said they were “small people” who “simply washed their hands in a flowing Ganga (of corruption),” hinting at the investigations involving former chief of air staff SP Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khetan,

“We want to find out where the river was going,” said Parrikar responding to a Calling Attention Motion on the chopper deal. The Minister’s indirect attack on the Congress, especially its leader Sonia Gandhi, led to Congress MPs walking out in protest.

“Why are you (Congress) concerned? I have not named anybody. You seem to know where the Ganga (of corruption) was going,” Parrikar said as the Congress members went out of the House demanding a time-bound probe in the matter under the supervision of the Supreme Court. 
Sharpening his attack, the Defence Minister said that the UPA government had “done everything” to help AgustaWestland bag the contract and its action against the company, following the disclosure of corruption, was not pro-active but “forced by circumstances.” He said that the decision on the contract was taken in 2010 while Tyagi had retired in 2007. “He may have received some ‘chiller’ (loose change) or ‘prasad’ (sacrament) for arranging the meeting. It’s important to know who gave the order in 2010,” the Defence Minister said.

Countering the attack earlier, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “Do not level baseless allegations. Answer the questions that we are raising. The investigations should happen under the monitoring of the Supreme Court and its reports should be placed in the House every three months.”
Stoutly defending Sonia Gandhi, he described her as a ‘sherni’ (lioness) and said that her name wasn’t mentioned anywhere. “Whenever the name of Sonia Gandhi comes, they start feeling irritated and they are afraid of her because she is a ‘lioness’,” he said. The Minister in his sarcastic counter said, “I never mentioned anybody’s name, it’s they who keep bringing it up.”

Scindia also remarked that the banning and blacklisting of companies was started by the UPA government. “The then Defence Minister AK Antony had stated that no deal would happen with AgustaWestland,” Scindia said adding that it was the UPA government which had recovered Rs 2,063 crore from the company.

Noting that the scam had surfaced in 2012, Parrikar said that nothing was done by the UPA government till January 2014. Describing the then Defence Minister AK Antony as “bechara” (helpless), Parrikar contended that his “hands were tied” and he “feared that his sainthood would be disrobed.”

Parrikar said Antony acted only after a top official of Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, was arrested in Italy in connection with bribery in the deal. “Just 2-3 hours after the arrest, Antony gave the files to CBI,” Parrikar said. He added, “He (Antony) wanted to protect his image. I am unaware whether he knew or didn’t know (of the bribe).”

Meanwhile, in his first public comment since the AgustaWestland issue broke out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dubbed the controversial deal a “chori” (theft) and said that the guilty, howsoever big, would not be spared. 


   Former Air Chief Tyagi a ‘chiller’(small player), we want to know about fountainhead of corruption
   Why are you (Congress) concerned? I have not named anybody. You seem to know where the Ganga (of corruption) was going

   I never mentioned anybody’s (Sonia Gandh’s) name, it’s they (Congress MPs) who keep bringing it up

   AK Antony is as ‘bechara’ (helpless), with hands were tied. Fear that his sainthood would be disrobed 
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