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Spectre of VVIP helicopter deal reaching 10 Janpath, Sonia scared: BJP

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) BJP said the time was running out for top Congress leadership as the Rs 3600 crore VVIP helicopter scam was knocking at doors of 10 Janpath and 24 Akbar road. The entire Congress leadership, including party President Sonia Gandhi and her political advisor Ahmed Patel, is in dock. Their names have been mentioned in the Italian court's judgement not without reason. They are the architects of this scam,' BJP Spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao told mediapersons here, in a scathing attack on the grand old party. Citing CAG reports, Mr Rao said tender conditions for 12 VVIP helicopter deals were allegedly tweaked by the then UPA regime to restrict competition, so that only AgustaWestland could qualify for it. Terming the alleged scam as a 'coordinated operation,' he said it was enacted jointly by the decision makers in the erstwhile UPA government, AgustaWestland and the middlemen, including Christian Michel. 'So, for Congress to cry innocence now, is absolutely ridiculous. They know that they do not have defence and are sidestepping real issues. Ms Gandhi possibly feels or fears, rightly so, that this scam is directly reaching the doorsteps of 10 Janpath and 24 Akbar road,' the BJP Spokesperson quipped. The benchmark price of one helicopter was fixed by the Defence Ministry at Rs 4872 crore, even when the actual cost was way too low, he pointed out, alleged that it was done at a time, when AgustaWestland had already bagged the contract. The entire helicopter deal was allegedly designed to perpetuate a 'gigantic fraud' and every rule and procedure was flouted to dole out undue favours to the company, Mr Rao further alleged. Claiming that alleged kickback of Rs 350 crore was just a 'tip of the iceberg,' the BJP Spokesperson questioned why Congress did not act against the Italian defence major, even when every newspaper was reporting 'scam' in the deal. Mr Rao said although the then Defence Minister AK Antony objected to conducting field evaluation trials of VVIP helicopters abroad, citing fidelity issues, he was allegedly overruled by Ms Gandhi and Mr Patel to favour the company. 'Christian Michel was allowed to escape within hours after the CBI filed charge sheet. There is a red corner notice against him. Once he is in custody and starts singing, I don't know where Congress will hide its face,' said Mr Rao, taking a jibe at Congress. On Rajya Sabha's Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad's ultimatum of 60 days to the Centre to act in this regard, rather than making 'allegations,' Mr Rao called it a 'bravado' of the Congress leader and said 'guilty' cannot decide the timeframe of punishment or punishment for himself. UNI RG RJ AE 1830

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