Pointing to the CBI’s “slow” probe into the 2G scam, the BJP on Friday demanded a court-monitored SIT probe into the bribe allegations in the Rs 3600 crore chopper deal.
The party also put six posers to the Centre, seeking to know who got the kickbacks in the VVIP chopper deal and which “the family” mentioned in the Italian chargesheet was.
“The probe must be monitored by the court. As our senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu today said that if the probe is done by the SIT, all the more better,” party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. “The real issues are corruption and kickbacks, not technical specifications. The other important issue is the government’s failure to order a time-bound probe into the matter and find out the Indian beneficiaries,” he added.
“Who finalised and signed the VVIP chopper deal? Who received the kickbacks? In two places, the Italian chargesheet talks about payment of 28 million euros to ‘the family’. The nation wants to know who ‘the family’ is,” he asked.
“What is the connection of Haschke and Emaar MGF? What is the status and role of IDS India in the chopper scam?” It also wanted to know whether the government has issued a Letter Rogatory in connection with this deal.
“The BJP charges the government of avoiding a proper inquiry into the scam even as the issue of kickbacks came to light last year itself in Italian and Indian media... The BJP demands the details of Ministry of Defence’s internal inquiry and how the government arrived at the conclusion that there was no foul play,” said Javadekar.
Referring to the Congress’ charges that the norms for the helicopters were tweaked during the NDA rule, he said, “All these sins are of the UPA”. “At first the Congress tries to defuse a scam, then denies there is a scam, then ducks questions about the scam and then tries not to order an inquiry. Further it tries to cover up the scam and finally tries to deflect attention from it. Corruption is the hallmark of the UPA regime,” he said.