AgustaWestland row: BJP calls Congress a 'party of thieves'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday alleged that the Congress is a party of thieves, adding the protest by the grand old party's women wing is an attempt to conceal the truth in the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to disclose the truth with regard to the chopper deal before the nation.

"As far as the VVIP chopper case is concerned, the Congress Party played with the country's national security and received kickbacks this has been proved by the Italy court. The Congress is a party of thieves and its theft has now been caught. To hide their theft, the thieves are now raising their voices on the streets," he told ANI here.

Holding placards in their hands, the Congress' women wing staged a protest outside the BJP Headquarters and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

All India Mahila Congress President Shobha Oza told ANI the protest is against the BJP-led NDA government, which had come to power making tall claims before the nation.

"Today, there is drought in the country, the farmers are committing suicides, there is no water for drinking, the drought has still not been declared a national calamity, the people are dying, but the government is least interested about them," said Oza.

"The government in an attempt to conceal its failures is making baseless allegations against the Congress. An attempt is being made to divert the attention of the people," she added.

Former DCW chairperson Barkha Shukla Singh echoing similar sentiments said the NDA government, which has failed on all counts, has done nothing so far besides making bogus comments

"Subramanian Swamy has been sent to the Rajya Sabha just to make unwarranted statements. So, we are protesting against it. They are making baseless allegations. The Modi government has failed on all counts. They have done nothing because making bogus comments," she said.

BJP president Amit Shah Shah had yesterday asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to come clear in the AgustaWestland controversy and said those in power during the former UPA regime were responsible for it.

Shah said it is quite amazing that the flip-flops of the UPA came to the fore when it was in power, adding the same has grabbed eyeballs even now.

The Congress president had earlier alleged that the NDA government was indulging in the politics of character assassination and blatant lies over the AgustaWestland chopper deal, while refuting the allegations being levelled against her.

James Christian Michel, the accused middleman in the chopper deal, has offered himself up for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

AgustaWestland's Rs 3,600 crore contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force was scrapped by the UPA government over charges of paying kickbacks to Indian agents.

In January 2013, India cancelled the deal and the CBI was assigned to investigate the matter.