New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that he only wanted to give chronology of the events with regard to corruption in the Rs. 3,600-crore sale of 12 VVIP choppers to India.
"This matter is not of today, this pertains to year 2002. I just wanted to inform the House, the chronological order of events, without any comments on them, so that the House is aware of when it took place and what happened," Parrikar said in the Upper House. "Whether they want or don't want, it is for them (Congress)," he added amid uproar in the upper house.
Continuing the attack, BJP asked why the UPA-led government did not initiate a probe into all those who all took bribes in the scam.
“Why did the Congress government create a single-vendor situation?" BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav asked in Rajya Sabha. "Why did UPA not initiate an investigation into who all took bribes in the AgustaWestland deal," he further questioned.
Here are the live updates:
7:30 pm: Congress stages walkout from Rajya Sabha after defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s statement on AgustaWestland issue.
6:30 pm: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar makes statement in Rajya Sabha. Parrikar says the fact that there was corruption in the chopper deal is brought out in recent judgments of Milan court.
“India wants to know who instigated, supported and benefited from the VVIP chopper scam. We can’t let this pass,” says Parrikar.
- CAG report highlighted that allowed offsets were not compliant with Defence Procurement Policy (DPP).
- The benchmark cost given by contract negotiation committee (CNC) was unreasonably high and had provided no realistic basis for price negotiations.
- Investigation so far in the VVIP chopper case has revealed involvement of Ids Infotech as a channel for transfer of bribe money.
- UPA, instead of taking action against the company, wrote to external affairs Ministry, embassy and court.
- CBI registered an FIR in the case on March 12, 2013 based on reference made by defence ministry on February 12, 2013. But CBI didn’t bother to forward a copy of the FIR to Enforcement Directorate (ED) for nine months. Strangely ED did not act on the FIR till July 2014.
- It appears that an invincible hand was guiding actions or inactions by CBI and ED.
- After present Government took over, CBI and ED have been rigorously pursuing all aspects of the investigation.
6:15 pm: Former defence minister AK Antony says the chopper’s flying ceiling of 6,000 metre and a cabinet height of 1.8 metre was altered allegedly to suit AgustaWestland. We acted immediately after the first report in media on alleged scam in helicopter deal.
“It is proved beyond doubt there was corruption in chopper deal; act now. If you have all evidence, take action but don't threaten us, don't blackmail us,” says Antony.
Read: Agusta deal: Take action if you have evidence, don't threaten us, Cong tells govt
5:55 pm: Congress leader Ahmed Patel says if you can find even an iota of truth in all the accusations being made, I will give up public life and resign.
“My name only comes 4 times in the entire report. Does it say anywhere in the report that the Congress leaders have taken bribe? CAG should not be used as a tool for political bickering. Government should probe into the deal, I will quit politics if they get something against me. This is not the first time I am being attacked,” says Patel.
Read: Does Agusta report say Cong leaders took bribe? Ahmed Patel asks BJP
5:15 pm: Congress leader Anand Sharma says we know their agenda and we are determined to fight and expose that agenda. This is a democracy. What has been referred to, must be authenticated by government, put here and scrutinised legally. Congress will answer on every question raised by the ruling party. Attempts are being made to mislead the people.
“What has been said in the House, attributing motives, insinuations, innuendos are without any foundation, malicious and motivated. Truth and medicine both are bitter but both are cures - one for lies, the other for disease,” says Anand Sharma.
5:05 pm: Swamy says will authenticated letter copy.
5 pm: Congress leader Anand Sharma says rules of discussion have been violated, demands authentication of the documents.
4:50 pm: Air Force in January 2006 gave their benchmark estimate for this deal as 793 crore. This was approved by Mr Antony, the then defence minister. In September 2008, contract negotiations committee arbitrarily fixed Rs 4877.5 crore as the deal which was 6 times more, says Swamy.
4:45 pm: Venkaiah Naidu requests deputy chairman to allow Swamy to complete his speech.
4:40 pm: Ruckus in Rajya Sabha by Congress members over Swamy’s speech.
4:10 pm: It took an NDA government to ban AgustaWestland. They didn’t use AW101 aircraft (which was bought) for field trials but used some other helicopter, which is fraud in itself, says BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha.
“CAG says that already present 8 helicopters which was bought in 1988 was hardly utilised, what was need for this additional 4? Original proposal was to buy 8 helicopters, after it became clear that Agusta was only 1 to qualify, they decided to buy 4 more. There was a clear effort to eliminate all other companies so that only Agusta would fit the required criteria,” says Swamy.
3.15 pm: JDU leader Sharad Yadav attacks BJP over chopper scam. “Why aren't you doing something real and only giving lectures? All of this is based on a court in Italy, you have no CBI, ED over there. What are you fretting about?”
2.30 pm: Abhishek Manu Singhvi led Congress' charge in Rajya Sabha. Taunting BJP, Singhvi says, "Here is an insecure ruling party trying to foist a charge of corruption on persons unconnected," adding, "We need to have more sense than sensationalism."
"In 1999, the IAF made a suggestion to replace MI8 VVIP helicopters. It was Vajpayee Govt in power that time," he says. "I don't think you can intimidate us. We must avoid hysteria and rely on facts," says Singhvi.
2.15 pm: BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav speaks on Agusta Case, asks, "Why did Congress create single-vendor situation?"
2.12 pm: The ruling party is trying to disrupt the House, says Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
2.05 pm: Ruckus rules Rajya Sabha as Defence Minister starts his 'big reveal' speech on AgustaWestland deal.
1 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm.
12.30 pm: No alarming situation in the nation relating to ISIS as of now, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh. “India's Muslim community is commited to life values of nation,” he adds.
12.25 pm: Kirit Somaiya raises Emaar MGF issue in Lok Sabha, demands Rahul Gandhi to come clean on the issue.
11.50 am: Most welcome, says Sonia Gandhi as BJP promises major revelations in Agusta deal in Parliament.
11.32 am: Kerala government has completely failed in protecting the Dalit girls in the state. This is a repeat of the Nirabhaya case, says BJP leader Tarun Vijay.
Read: Rajya Sabha MPs express concern over rape-murder of Kerala law student
11.30 am: CPM leader CP Narayanan raises issue of recent rape and murder case in Kerala. “More clear vigil is needed on part of the police and the public at large has to see that our sisters and daughters get protection,” says Narayanan.
10.30 am: You will see the strategy in the House, says Congress President Sonia Gandhi before strategy meet.
10.20 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu ahead of Rajya Sabha session.
Most welcome, says Sonia Gandhi as BJP promises 'big reveal'
As Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is set to make a ‘big reveal’ in Parliament today on the AgustaWestland deal, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that the new information is "most welcome".
Earlier this morning, when Sonia was asked about the party’s strategy, she said, “You will see our strategy on the floor of the House.” Congress held a meeting to decide its strategy in the much-awaited debate on the AgustaWestland chopper scam in Rajya Sabha.
Read: Modi calls meeting of top ministers ahead of crucial day in Rajya Sabha
Parrikar said his Parliament address would include how and when necessary clauses or provisions were relaxed to suit the company.
Parrikar had on Sunday said he will place all facts along with the detailed chronology about the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal before Parliament.
"Those who received kickbacks will not leave behind the proof for us to prosecute them, but we will have to prove it (that kickbacks were received)," he said.
Read: Manohar Parrikar questions Cong's claim on blacklisting AgustaWestland
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, had earlier on Monday accused the Centre of pursuing a politically motivated campaign to defame the grand old party through the AgustaWestland copter scam.
Meanwhile, the CBI has started third day of questioning former Air chief S.P. Tyagi at it's headquarter at CGO complex here in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs. 3600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
Read: Railway Minister absent from Lok Sabha, government faces embarrassment
The investigating agency had earlier on Saturday quizzed former IAF deputy chief JS Gujral in connection with this case.
Both Tyagi and Gujral were questioned at length in 2013, but the fresh round of questioning was necessitated after recent order of an Italian Court which indicated corruption in the deal.
