Sonia a ‘sherni’, will make you repent: Scindia leads Congress charge

Scindia led the Congress response during the debate by alleging that the government’s attack on the Congress leadership was “political”. Holding the NDA responsible for alleged irregularities in the deal, Scindia claimed that it was the “practice of BJP MPs to level wrong and baseless allegations” against Congress leaders to create an illusion.

“Whenever the name of Sonia Gandhi comes, they start feeling irritated and they are afraid of her. You should be. Because she is a lioness and she will make you repent,” said Scindia, pointing to Gandhi, who was seated at the first row.

He added that the Congress would “break that mayajaal (illusion)” by placing the facts before the country. “Do not level baseless allegations. Answer the questions we are raising. A Supreme Court-monitored probe should happen and the report should be placed before the House,” he said.

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In the no-holds-barred debate, which was more political rather than based on facts, Scindia said, “The fact is that the proceedings for the deal started in 1999. In 2003, they (the then NDA government) changed the chopper height to 4,500 metres. As far as the investigation goes, we ensured it was speedy.”

Listing the developments in chronological order, Scindia said repeatedly that the Congress-led UPA government had asked both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI to initiate an investigation after it found alleged corruption in the deal.

“In 2013, we handed the matter to the CBI, they gave a preliminary enquiry report within 12 days…. Why have you (NDA) done nothing to make headway in the investigation in the last two years? We have never denied that corruption took place in the deal. But why did you oppose a JPC on the issue then?” said Scindia.

“When we did the deal with AgustaWestland, it was not blacklisted. But now, you have invited it to Make in India. You are giving it FIPB clearance. Your party president has called it a bogus company, but you have invited it to Make in India,” said Scindia.

The Congress leader said that the UPA’s defence minister A K Antony had stated that no deal would happen with AgustaWestland and added that it had recovered Rs 880 crore initially and brought Rs 2,063 crore back to the country after realising that there were irregularities.

“We have put out a balance sheet in the House. Now it’s BJP’s turn… 24 months have passed of your government, what have you done in 720 days of your government? Have you brought in a single penny? Have you even identified a single person who has indulged in corruption,” he asked.

Scindia also alleged that the NDA government, by allowing Finmeccanica —AgustaWestland is a subsidiary — to send request for information (RFI) on contracts on Naval Utility helicopters, has given a “backdoor entry” for the blacklisted company.

Referring to a letter from Peter Hullet, an Italian officer in AgustaWestland’s India office, Scindia argued that Gandhis do not have any role in the deal. “Hullet had written that Mrs Gandhi and her closest set of advisers are the people the high commissioner should value…Does this government imply that high commissioners and diplomatic heads of different countries wish to meet our leaders in cases of corruption?” he said.

According to Scindia, the documents, which the BJP has based its accusations against Sonia Gandhi on, was “an unverified piece of paper that does not contain anyone’s signature”.

He also read out from the judgement passed by the Milan court, which sentenced two people to jail last month in the deal, where Judge Marco Maiga is quoted as saying: “We have no evidence against Sonia Gandhi. Only a mention of her in the facts, Mrs Gandhi has only been indicated as someone who will fly in the VVIP helicopters.”

Scindia also quoted Agusta middleman Christian Michel as saying: “I have never met one single Gandhi ever in my life. Not a letter, not a message, not a mention in any memo. I am absolutely sure that no money was ever paid to the Gandhis.”

Scindia argued that any mention about the “family” referred to the relatives of former air force chief S P Tyagi and not the Gandhi family. About the mention of ‘AP’, which BJP alleged was a reference to the Congress president’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, Scindia said there are so many people who could have this abbreviation.

“We have the Gujarat Chief Minister whose initials are also AP.on such things they are labelling the allegations,” said the Guna MP.

Before concluding his speech, Scindia asked the BJP to explain why the government has signed a deal for 36 Rafale aircraft for $9 billion when the previous UPA regime had bargained for 125 aircraft at $10 billion.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy supported the Congress by arguing that the BJP’s allegations were based not on the basis of the Milan judgment but on handwritten notes attached. He also questioned the government for allegedly not taking any action in one and-a-half years.

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