Reports that the Narendra Modi government has lifted the ban on business dealings with the current avatar of Italian firm Finmeccanica prompted the Congress on Monday to ask what the “secret deal” was between the government and the “corrupt” AgustaWestland.
The party underlined that the ban had been lifted soon after Prime Minister Modi’s return from Italy, and cited reports that the subject had figured at Modi’s meeting with his Italian counterpart.
The Manmohan Singh government had scrapped a contract for procuring VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland, UK subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now Leonardo SpA), and blacklisted the company after the media reported allegations of bribery and the involvement of middlemen.
The BJP had accused the company and the UPA of corruption in the deal.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Agusta was corrupt earlier. Now it is clean after being washed in BJP laundry.”
He used the hashtag “RIPlogic” to underline his charge of hypocrisy against the BJP.
Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said: “It is not the Congress that is saying so; Italy’s ambassador to India has revealed that the issue (ban) was discussed in the meeting (between Modi and the Italy Premier) where external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and NSA (national security adviser) Ajit Doval were also present.”
He added: “Is it now okay to deal with a company that Modi and his government had called ‘corrupt, bribe giver and bogus’? Does it mean that the fake bogey of corruption created just before the 2019 elections is being given a quiet burial like what had happened in the 2G spectrum allocation (controversy) a couple of days back with Vinod Rai’s unconditional apology?”
The UPA government had in 2010 signed a contract with AgustaWestland to purchase 12 helicopters for Rs 3,546 crore. But it registered an FIR and handed over the investigation to the CBI following the payoffs allegations.
In January 2014, the UPA government cancelled the contract. It also filed a case against AgustaWestland in Milan, Italy, for contract violation and got legal sanction for recovery.
“In July 2014, the Modi government took an opinion from its attorney-general to undo the banning of AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmeccanica, and an order was passed by the defence ministry on 22.07.2014 withdrawing the blacklisting proceedings,” Vallabh said.
“Now the procurement ban from the company has been revoked. Modi is guilty of shielding, protecting, and promoting AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmeccanica, whose name has now been changed to Leonardo SpA.
“The government had earlier included the ‘blacklisted’ AgustaWestland in the ‘Make in India’ plan and even permitted it to bid for the purchase of 100 helicopters for the Indian Navy.
“What will happen to the investigation and pending arbitration against Agusta/ Finmeccanica now? Is this going to (cause) a loss to the exchequer?”
Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “The media spent thousands of hours weaving fake stories to malign the Congress leadership for dealing with Agusta. Will they now question the Modi government for lifting the ban? Will they ask Modi, what is the secret deal? Will the media ask if it is now okay to deal with a tainted company?”
