Sukhendu Sekhar Roy of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress ordered to leave the Rajya Sabha for misbehaviour
Highlights
- Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded Defence Minister speak on VVIP chopper scam
- Defence Minister scheduled to make a statement on the scam on Wednesday
- That's also when a debate has been formally scheduled on the chopper scam
A member of Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress, was
ordered today to leave the Rajya Sabha for misbehaviour.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar make an urgent statement on the
AgustaWestland scandal, centred on Indians being bribed to choose the Anglo-Italian manufacturer to supply 12 helicopters for use by top politicians when the previous Congress-led government was in power.
The Defence Minister is to speak on the scam on Wednesday, which is when a debate has been formally scheduled on the blowout controversy.
"I didn't misbehave the way Congress was," said Mr Roy, confirming, "I was shouting from my seat".
The BJP's Subramanian Swamy, a new member, has asked for the debate, keeping his focus, as usual, on pinning down the Gandhis, who head the Congress. With knuckles bared, the Congress has also asked for the discussion to telegraph it has nothing to hide. Unwilling to wait till Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress, currently seeking re-election in Bengal (and whose top leaders are fighting charges of being caught on camera accepting cash for political favours), has asked for the Agusta debate today to target both the BJP and the Congress.
Bribes were allegedly paid in India in the 3600 crore AgustaWestland deal for 12 helicopters to be used by VVIPs
The
AgustaWestland deal was signed in 2010, allowing India to buy 12 helicopters for use by top politicians at a cost of 3,600 crores from the Anglo-Italian manufacturer. Then Italy accused top executives of the firm of paying bribes in countries like India to secure big contracts. India cancelled the deal in 2014, ordered a CBI inquiry, and banned Agusta and its parent firm, Finmeccanica, from consideration as a supplier to the government.
Last month, an Italian court convicted top Finmeccanica executives for paying bribes. The judgement - which considered several documents seized from middlemen that name Congress bosses including Sonia Gandhi - has allowed the BJP to claim incontrovertible evidence of the Congress' collusion in the scam.
Mrs Gandhi has said,
"I have done nothing wrong".