As BJP raked up the issue ofkickbacks in the VVIP chopper deal in a big way, its seniorleader Jaswant Singh today came out in defence of former AirChief S P Tyagi and said allegations should not be madeagainst each other till the truth is known.
The former Defence Minister in the NDA government alsoadmitted that parameters for purchase of these helicopterswere changed on the directions of the then National SecurityAdviser Brajesh Mishra but defended the decision saying it wasdone to avoid a single-vendor situation.
Singh said the guilty in the issue is an Italian companyand people "have forgotten them".
He favoured expeditious and thorough probe into theallegations of payment of kickbacks in the Rs 3600 crore deal.
"We should not make wild allegations against a former AirChief. It is not in the interest of both the Air Force and thecountry. The probe is on. As Mr Tyagi himself is saying, theprobe should be held early. Why don't you agree to hissuggestion," Singh told reporters.
Supporting Tyagi, who has been accused of taking bribes inthe deal through his cousins, Singh said one should be carefulwhile alleging "guilt through association".
"Don't start judging people simply because of associationor simply because the former Air Chief Marshal Tyagi hascousins who are also known as Tyagis," he said.
The former Defence and External Affairs Minister cited hisown example in this regard, saying, "One of my own cousins,first cousin, he was known as a smuggler. Does that make me asmuggler. If another relative of mine commits a crime, doesthat make me a criminal."
Singh said, "we should not make allegations against eachother" till the truth is known.
Asked about Singh's remarks, party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Tyagi definitely has a lot of answer. Hecan't escape answering these questions. If there are othersinvolved in the scam, they also have to be questioned."
Singh's comments assume significance in the context ofhigh-decibel attack launched by his party against thegovernment, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh andCongress chief Sonia Gandhi over the scam.
"I am pained that the guilty here is the Italian company.
It seems that we have forgotten them," Singh said.
Singh, who was the Defence Minister in 2001, admittedthat the tender specifications were changed during NDA rule.
"Yes, what he has said is true," Singh said when asked tocomment on remarks by Tyagi that the specifications in thetender were changed in 2003 during the NDA rule when GeorgeFernandes was the Defence Minister.
Italian prosecutors have contended that thespecifications were altered to make AgustaWestland'shelicopters eligible in the contract for the 12 VVIPhelicopter deal. Among the changes made were the reduction inthe altitude from 19000 ft to 15000 ft.
"I don't see why there is so much of excitement aboutchanging the parameters. There was a plausible and good reasonfor the change that was to be brought about.
"The original proposal for the VVIP helicopter emerged inthe year 2000 and one of the criterion in that was that thehelicopter for VIP movement ought to be able to go up to18,000 feet.
"When this came to the Prime Minister's office and itcame back to the Cabinet Committee on Security, then it wasfound that to have a single vendor proposal would beimproper."
Supporting the decision of Brajesh Mishra in getting the parameters changed, Singh said, "I think that the thenNational Security Advisor "appropriately and rightly said wemuch avoid the single vendor situation".
He said he was disappointed wtih the UPA government'sresponse in the matter. "When it first appeared in 2011 andthe Parliament was also seized of it, the government hasdenied the very existence of such a situation. It is verydisappointing."
He said, "for about 10 months all that the governmentdid, between Ministry of Defence and Ministry of ExternalAffairs, also sent rather polite notes to the Italiangovernment, who in any event are the Gold medal winners forcorruption."
Singh said, "should it require much more than just apolite letter saying please give us the facts. We need muchstronger diplomatic action.
"If that was the provision, then immediately the Ministryof Defence ought to have stayed any further payments at leastbecause it is a very fine balancing act that we have toachieve."
The former Defence Minister said the defence preparednessof the country should not be damaged by delays in thedecision-making.
"But we equally must not let damage to decision-making bysuch programmes being riddled with corruption. So I find thegovernment response as tardy, unsatisfactory and certainly notanswering the need of the hour," he said.