Chennai: Targeting Congress leadership on the AgustaWestland bribery controversy, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi owed an explanation as all "decisions and manipulations in tenders were done during" the UPA regime.
"Now things are coming out as to how the entire fundamentals were changed for AgustaWestland, (how) the tenders were changed. The Congress party must reply, Sonia Gandhi must reply, Rahul Gandhi must reply," he told reporters in Chennai.
Referring to former Defence Minister A K Anthony's remarks that the Modi government should punish the bribe takers if there was evidence, the IT Minister said the agencies were probing the matter.
He also alleged that 'middleman' Christian Michel was "allowed to flee" after CBI started its preliminary inquiry in February 2013 just like Ottavio Quattrochi leaving India during the Bofors scandal.
Mr Prasad asked Mrs Gandhi "to please explain who the bribe takers were because all the decisions, manipulations in tenders were done when the UPA government was there".
The NDA government was committed to a fair investigation into the matter and bring to book those "who have done this great corruption and brought shame to the country," he said.
Slamming the Congress and its ally the DMK on the 2G scam, Mr Prasad said scams like Coal auction and AgustaWestland "keep tumbling" out with "alarming regularity".
He said the investigation into the AgustaWestland deal started after the Modi government came to power at the Centre, and former NSA MK Narayanan and former Governor of Goa B V Wanchoo, "were questioned only after we came to power".
He also sought to 'remind' Congress that the proof in this case "has come in Italy," in an apparent reference to the conviction of Finmeccanica's former chief Giuseppe Orsi to 4.5 years in jail for corruption in the deal relating to sale of 12 VVIP choppers to India.
Mr Prasad said there were no charges of corruption against his party-led government. "We can say proudly that our government has conducted itself with great honesty and transparency," he said.
"Now things are coming out as to how the entire fundamentals were changed for AgustaWestland, (how) the tenders were changed. The Congress party must reply, Sonia Gandhi must reply, Rahul Gandhi must reply," he told reporters in Chennai.
Referring to former Defence Minister A K Anthony's remarks that the Modi government should punish the bribe takers if there was evidence, the IT Minister said the agencies were probing the matter.
Mr Prasad asked Mrs Gandhi "to please explain who the bribe takers were because all the decisions, manipulations in tenders were done when the UPA government was there".
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Slamming the Congress and its ally the DMK on the 2G scam, Mr Prasad said scams like Coal auction and AgustaWestland "keep tumbling" out with "alarming regularity".
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He also sought to 'remind' Congress that the proof in this case "has come in Italy," in an apparent reference to the conviction of Finmeccanica's former chief Giuseppe Orsi to 4.5 years in jail for corruption in the deal relating to sale of 12 VVIP choppers to India.
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