Congress hits Swamy obstacle in Rajya Sabha

'This man has aged, but does not know the difference between words spoken on the streets from those of spoken in Parliament.'
'He does not allow his hair to turn gray, so he hasn't learned or matured.'
Rashme Sehgal reports on how Subramanian Swamy has riled the Congress yet again.

The Congress' attempts to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party over the imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand has hit the Subramanian Swamy obstacle in the Rajya Sabha.

Making his debut as a nominated member of the Upper House, Dr Swamy on Wednesday, April 27, made fresh allegations against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, naming her as a beneficiary in the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

A Court of Appeal in Milan, Italy -- equivalent to an Indian high court -- convicted two Italian business executives for graft in the chopper deal and also named former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi and three of his cousins for accepting bribes.

The court cited documents that described Sonia Gandhi as having been the 'driving force' behind the deal.

Other Congress politicians named are then prime minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab Mukherjee, then Union minister M Veerappa Moily and senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Oscar Fernandes.

On Wednesday, Dr Swamy's allegations about Sonia Gandhi were met with vigorous protests from the Congress benches and led Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to immediately expunge the remarks from the record.

On Thursday as well, Dr Swamy insisted on making a reference to the Congress president, which was promptly expunged.

'It is only his second day in Parliament,' Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked. 'In two days you have expunged his remarks twice. There are 365 days in a year. How many times you are going to expunge his words?'

'This man has aged, but does not know the difference between words spoken on the streets from those of spoken in Parliament. He does not allow his hair to turn gray, so he hasn't learned or matured,' Azad added.

Deputy Chairman Kurien warned Dr Swamy not to subvert Zero Hour to which Azad remarked, 'The problem is not us. The problem is this new gift of the BJP (referring to Dr Swamy) which will not allow us to function.'

'Where is the proof? (of her involvement)?' Sonia had asked on Wednesday. 'It's a part of their strategy of character assassination. The allegation is completely baseless.'

'You (the BJP) have been in power for two years -- finish the inquiry; the truth will be out. We have nothing to hide. Let them take my name, I am not afraid,' the Congress president declared.

India had terminated the Rs 3,726 crore (Rs 37.26 billion) VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland International Limited on the grounds of a breach of the pre-contract integrity pact.

While the deal was signed in 2010 by then prime minister Manmohan Singh, it was cancelled in February 2014 after the Italian government highlighted that its executives had paid bribes to the tune of Rs 226 crore (Rs 2.26 billion) to Indians.

This led the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government to ban both AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmecannica from doing any business in India in February 2014.

The Congress pointed out that after coming to power, the BJP modified this blacklisting and allowed AgustaWestland and Finmecannica to participate in government contracts. The Italian companies were even given a Foreign Investment Promotion Board licence to produce helicopters on a joint venture basis.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited AgustaWestland and Finmecannica to his Make In India summit in New York last year.

Since the Italians had revealed that IAF officers had also received kickbacks worth Rs 360 crore (Rs 3.6 billion), the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case against Air Chief Marshal Tyagi (retd) and 12 others including three of his cousins.

In the same month, the defence ministry had frozen the payments and decided to scrap the contract for supply of 12 AW101 three-engine helicopters for VVIP use.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala pointed out that the UPA government had started proceedings for encashment of securities/bank guarantees and recovered Rs 2,068 crore (Rs 20.68 billion) against payment of Rs 1,620 crore (Rs 16.20 billion) -- more than India paid for the choppers.

"But soon after assuming office, the Modi government sought an opinion from the attorney general on Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland. They were cleared despite objections from the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to become part of Make in India programme," Surjewala said.

The Congress's top coterie is now on the offensive. Ahmed Patel, who is also Sonia's political secretary, declared, 'Hang me if there is an iota of evidence (against us). We unequivocally reject their allegations.'

In a series of tweets, Ahmed Patel said, 'Those uncorroborated notes which are part of the judgment annexure have been in the public domain for two years. Why did the BJP government fail to verify it? They have been in power for two years; why are they crying foul now?'

'The Modi government is indulging in a cover up conspiracy to hide its sinister role in helping and promoting a banned corrupt company (AgustaWestland) and its parent company (Finmecannica),' Former defence minister A K Antony told the media.

'What is the most intriguing part of this conspiracy is the undisclosed reason on the part of the Modi government in permitting this blacklisted company to get clearances from the Foreign Investment Promotion board and permit its entry as partner or subcontractor for various Indian corporate houses,' Antony added.

The UPA government, Surjewala said, was willing to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee when the issue first came up, but the then leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, current Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, shot the idea down.

While the Congress government debarred any commercial transaction with Finmeccanica and initiated the blacklisting process, Surjewala emphasised the Modi government had permitted a blacklisted company to get FIPB clearances.

But the BJP has seized the initiative on the controversy. Both Dr Swamy and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar challenged the Congress to show the UPA government's order blacklisting AgustaWestland.

Countering the Congress charge that Modi had met his Italian counterpart in September last year and offered to free the two Italian marines (arrested for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen) in return for information on the 'Gandhi family,' Jaitley replied that 'no such meeting had been held,' insisting such an allegation was 'false and untrue in entirety.'

'All I want to ask her is that those who gave bribes are in jail in Italy, then where are those who received the kickbacks?' BJP President Amit Shah asked Sonia Gandhi.

'When the National Herald corruption case happened, you said you did not fear anybody. When the AgustaWestland case occurs, you say you do not fear anybody. I want to tell her (Sonia) that we in the BJP are afraid of the Constitution, rules and public norms,' Shah said.

'I think she should come out of this mindset about whether she fears anybody or not and make it clear before the people that when it has been proven by an Italian court that bribes were given, then who received the money. Who are responsible?' Shah asked.

It is obvious that the Modi government wants the Congress and the Gandhis to be on the backfoot. Their strategy is to discredit both by showing how they are embroiled in one scandal after another.

IMAGE: Congress MPs protest in the well of the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI/TV grab