UPA government is ready for discussion over VVIP Chopper deal scandal in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday, as per reports.
From PM’s statement it has been cleared that UPA is not under any pressure to debate about alleged corruption in the $750 mn (Rs.3,600 crore) deal for supply of 12 helicopters to India, even as CBI and MoD left for Italy to collect evidences over the scandal.
The Opposition party BJP is also ready to hit back the government, raising the chopper scam in Parliament forcefully in the budget session beginning Feb 21.
Meanwhile, a long and bitter war begins in Indian political parties as Opposition demanded clear cut answers over the questions raised in the alleged kickbacks in VVIP Chopper deal.
The trial proceedings has begun against Finmeccanica CEO Guiseppe Orsi in Milan, Italy where Indian authorities with External Affairs headed to get detailed information over scam, but Italian court refusing to share it with India.
Sources said, if India has failed to get details of Italy judiciary, the probe conducted by Italy investigation agency could be scrutinised minutely, in which role of Finmeccanica has been mentioned in alleged kickbacks of AgustaWestland Chopper Deal, was signed with AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, in February 2010.
Moreover, the probe was going on at “many levels” with best method of ‘Letters Rogatory’, a formal request to a foreign court for judicial assistance which helps to get “concrete materials” from Italian authorities, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters.
Over the Left and BJP allegations in VVIP Chopper Scam that UPA had kept Parliament in the dark, Congress said that its door were always open for BJP to ask any question in Parliament over the Defence Deal.
