Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, the Opposition has sniffed yet another corruption scandal to take on the UPA Government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties have vowed to raise the corruption involved in the VVIP helicopter deal. The Congress, however, welcomed the CBI probe announced by Defence Minister A.K Antony and said the guilty would be punished.
“Nobody will be spared, whatever be the consequences,” Antony told reporters here on Wednesday, when asked about the alleged involvement of former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi, in the multi-crore deal. Antony said his Ministry had asked the CBI to give a report on the issue at the earliest.
The Italian Government had arrested Italian company Finmeccanica’s Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Orsi, for corruption and embezzlement in relation to bribes allegedly given to the Indian Government in the Agusta Westland helicopter deal.
“Once we get the preliminary inquiry report from the CBI, strongest action will be taken against those found guilty,” Antony said, and added that he has no information on the alleged involvement of Tyagi in the deal.
Tyagi has denied the allegations of the probe report of the Italian Government, saying that he was also bribed by the businessman.
Asked if the Centre would cancel the deal based on the reports, he said after the CBI submits its report, the Government would take serious action that may include cancelling the deal. “We don’t want to jump the gun. We can get our money back even at this stage,” Antony said.
“Not a single pie will the Indian Government lose. As per the defence purchase procedures, before signing any contract beyond Rs 300 crore, the vendor has to sign an integrity pact with the Government of India, agreeing to our conditions. If they violate that condition, they are liable to criminal action,” he added.
Scrap deal: Opposition
The BJP urged the Centre to review the deal and stop supply of the remaining nine choppers till all doubts were cleared.
“It is a Bofors-like case. When the bribe-giver has been caught, why can’t the bribe-taker be identified. Till when will the Indian Government save the bribe-takers. The BJP will raise the issue seriously in the Budget session of Parliament and seek a reply from the Government to identify who the bribe-takers are and who are protecting them,” Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.
The CPI (M) said the contract should be cancelled. “The CBI investigation should be supervised by the Supreme Court, only then will people have confidence that we will get to the bottom of this affair,” the party’s Polit Bureau said in a statement.