AgustaWestland deal: Manmohan Singh should clarify S P Tyagi's charge, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Sunday that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh needs to give a clarification on the charge put up by former air force chief S P Tyagi that that the Prime Minister Office had asked for a tweaking of the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

"The epicenter of the corruption during the UPA regime was the PMO office and 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi's residence). Today, S P Tyagi has categorically stated that all the changes in Augusta Westland chopper's specifications were made at the behest of the PMO office.

Manmohan Singh has to explain and clarify on this charge as his office is under attack," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.

He added, "I'm sure the investigating officers will take it forward and enquire former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on this monumental corruption engineered during his period."

Tyagi has been accused by investigators in Italy and India of abusing his official position to swing the contract in favour of Finnmeccanica, the parent company of UK-based helicopter maker AgustaWestland, by tailoring specifications of the tender at the instance of his cousins and was arrested on Friday along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie and advocate Gautam Khaitan.