Congress leader and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony has said that it is for the Union government to take action in the AgustaWestland helicopter scam. “All the files pertaining to the deal are with the government,” he said at a meet-the-press programme on Thursday.
Mr. Antony said it was the BJP-led government which revised the guidelines for buying the helicopters for VVIP use.
‘Integrity’ factor
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had approved the decisions taken during the Vajpayee-led government. It was the UPA government which incorporated the ‘integrity factor’ in the deal, according to which the pact could be cancelled in case of middlemen’s involvement.
When allegations of corruption broke out, the UPA government had sought a report from the ambassador in Italy and a CBI probe was ordered into the affair. The UPA government initiated measures to blacklist the company and to take back the bank guarantee.
The deal was cancelled in 2014. He attributed the delay in getting the company blacklisted to the court case prevailing in Italy then.
The Congress leader added that the LDF and the UDF were engaged in a direct fight in Kerala, except in one or two seats where it was fighting BJP. He deplored the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which compared the State with Somalia in certain respects.
The statement did not behove the dignity of his post. He should withdraw the comment, he said.
Mr. Antony said the people of Kerala, having strong secular credentials, would reject the BJP in the elections.
