Michel's extradition could spell 'serious' trouble for Gandhi family: BJP

The BJP said Tuesday the extradition of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, was a diplomatic victory for India and could spell "serious trouble" for the Congress' "first family".

The ruling party also asserted that the development was an unequivocal affirmation of the Narendra Modi government's "seriousness in fighting corruption".

"Extradition of Christian Michel is a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government. Now that he will be available to the CBI, the 'real' bribe-receivers of the AgustaWestland bribes scandal will be exposed," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

Claiming that Michel was "known to be a Gandhi-family loyalist", Rao said "his extradition and custody could spell serious trouble for the Congress' first family".

The Congress has denied all allegations against its leaders in connection with the deal.

Michel is being extradited to India from the United Arab Emirates and scheduled to be brought back on Tuesday night from Dubai, according to official sources.

Terming it a "diplomatic victory" for the Modi government, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "The country is entitled to know the truth on who were the bribe-receivers in India. Certainly, we are closer to know the truth."