PM is protector, benefactor, promoter of AgustaWestland: Congress

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Dec 5 (ANI): Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making "loud noise" to "hide his own misdeeds as he is the protector, benefactor, and promoter of AgustaWestland".
"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has '3M' Strategy in the Agusta Case -- misguiding, mudslinging, misleading the nation. BJP wants to manufacture false evidence rather than discover the truth of their own corruption," Surjewala said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government are seeking to weave a web of lies, perpetuate falsehoods and construct a mesh of deception to hoodwink the people of India in the AgustaWestland helicopter purchase and its parent company Finmeccanica," he said.
Rupees 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VIP helicopter deal, finalised during the UPA regime has got mired in allegations of kick-backs.
He further alleged that the Prime Minister Modi-led government is indulging in a cover-up conspiracy to hide its alleged role in helping and promoting a banned company AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmeccanica.
"What is the most intriguing part of the conspiracy is the undisclosed reason on part of the Prime Minister Modi government for permitting a blacklisted company AgustaWestland to get clearances from Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and permit its entry as partner or sub-contractor to various Indian corporate. Simple question is, why has the CBI not investigated Modi government Agusta nexus," asked Surjewala.
He said that banning of AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmeccanica was undone by Modi government despite the pendency of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case and despite the violation of the 'integrity clause', for which its contract was terminated.
"Not only this, Modi government sought a special opinion from its Attorney General in July 2014 and permitted Agusta Westland/Finmeccanica to be part of make-in-India and bid for 100 Naval utility helicopters besides clearing its investment proposals through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for the manufacture of AW119 helicopters in partnership with Tata. Incidentally, Arun Jaitley was Defence Minister for part of this tenure," said Surjewala.(ANI)