BJP hits out at CBI on the chopper deal scam

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put country’s premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under the scanner for allegedly failing to expose the shady chopper deal.

“Why our investigating agency (the CBI) missed to reveal the (alleged) scam in the procurement of VVIP chopper from Italy,” BJP President Rajnath Singh said here on Wednesday afternoon. The matter needs to be given a serious thought, he added.

Italian investigating agency has alleged that Finmeccanica had bribed the Indian Air Force officials to swing the Rs 3546 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal in favour of the company. The revelation has rocked the country with opposition making it a big issue.The report submitted by the investigators alleged that the technical requirement for the contract were tweaked by India to ensure entry of the AugutaWestland chopper enter the bidding process. It added that kickbacks of aboutRs 370 crore were paid in Italy and India.

“The incident of alleged kickbacks and a foreign agency revealing the facts had come as a big humiliation for India at the international forum,” Singh said, adding that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Congress was fully responsible for it.

The BJP President said the investigating agency in India should be made more effective so as to get better results. “The government should seriously think about it (making CBI more effective) and it should be our effort to strengthen the agency, and make it more effective,” Singh added.