New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today said both the Congress and BJP have “blackened” their hands in the AgustaWestland chopper deal and demanded action against those involved.
The party also asked the government to come clean on allegations that former Air Chief S P Tyagi had links with Vivekananda Foundation, a Delhi based think tank, once headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It also wondered whether this was the reason behind the probe agencies going “slow” in the investigation.
”This deal started during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. It was completed by the Manmohan Singh government and (it) cancelled the deal. It appears that since Congress and the BJP have both blackened their hands, this is why the Modi government is not taking any action against Sonia Gandhi,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
”If the intentions of Modi government is to combat corruption, then it should arrest those involved in it, right from Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel to S P Tyagi and many other officers and politicians...Whose name in involved in the AgustaWestland chopper deal. Even some journalists are believed to have been involved,” he said.
The party also posed six questions to the government over the investigations in the deal.
”What progress has the government done in the AgustaWestland chopper deal case and what is its outcome? If the government of Italy can send the culprits to jail then why was the government sleeping over it for the last two years.
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”When the name of Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel cropped up in the Appellate court in Italy the Modi government was pretending to remain active. Had the government been actually active in the last two years, then their name would have come in the probe done by the ED and the CBI. And why did it have to wait for Appellate Court’s order,” AAP leader Ashutosh said.
”It is evident that S P Tyagi has taken bribe. What is the connection of S P Tyagi with Vivekananda Foundation. NSA Ajit Doval and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra, both believed to be very powerful bureaucrats linked to Vivekananda Foundation.
”So what is the link of the two with S P Tyagi. Why is he still not being sent to jail. Why should not this be believed that there is friendship between Ajit Doval and S P Tyagi and this is why the probe is not getting over,” Ashutosh added.
Strongly refuting the allegations, the government termed attempts to link Doval and Misra to one of the accused as “totally baseless assertion and indicative of malicious intent”.
Ashutosh also questioned the government for not
interrogating Gandhi in the case.
”Its been days that the Appellate Court came up with its judgement. Leave alone arrest. Why has the BJP not started the process of even interrogating Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.
”Amit Shah has asked Sonia Gandhi to name bribe-takers. Have they admitted the fact that CBI and ED are unable to find the truth which is why they are asking the Congress to reveal the names of the bribe-takers.
”The Congress party has challenged to investigate the matter in two months. If the culprits are challenging the government, then does the government accept the challenge and complete the probe and send them to jail by July 30, 2016,” he said.
Likening the AgustaWestland Chopper deal with Bofors scam, Sanjay Singh said if action is not taken on this immediately then the matter will be put in cold storage.
In the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) yesterday, first after its reconstitution, the party has decided to intensify the attack on the Congress and BJP over the issue.
”On March 7, we will gherao the residences of Prime Minister and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. We appeal to our volunteers from across the country to come to Delhi on this day to participate in the protest,” he said.
