Congress: Government secret deal on marine

Attacking the Modi government for its “weak defence” in the Italian marines case, the main Opposition Congress asked is it “quid pro quo” between the Centre and the Italian authorities to release the marines.

“Recent order of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague confirms the claim that Modi government has entered into a conspiracy to falsely accuse the Congress leadership in AgustaWestland case in return for a weak defence in the Italian marines case,” party spokesman Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters.

He claimed that even if one takes a cursory glance at the series of events that preceded this arbitration order, it becomes abundantly clear that “this is nothing but a ruse to logically effect the quid pro quo conspiratorial agreement that the Prime Minister entered into with Italian authorities”.

“A charge clearly reflected in news reports that claimed that a conspiracy was hatched with a latent promise by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the release of these marines which has been surreptitiously denied by the government,” he said, insisting that this is a “huge setback for India and prima facie appears to have been a case deliberately lost”.

“The Modi government apparently fought a weak case and provided diluted defence so as to facilitate the release of the accused marine,” he said. Mr Scindia claimed it was a “massive blow” to India’s efforts since 2012 to bring the culprits, who killed innocent Kerala fishermen, to justice. Raising a number of questions, he asked the Prime Minister as to what are the details of the “secret deal” and “quid pro quo” between the Modi government and the Italian authorities to release the marines.