On a day when Christian Michel, alleged to be a middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, was remanded in custody for five days, the Congress accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging a smear campaign.
On the other hand, the government was helping the blacklisted company, AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmecanica, get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to become “...partner or sub-contractor to various Indian corporates.”
In a statement, Congress communication chief Randeep Surjewala said that with the BJP facing defeat in the Assembly elections, the Modi government had “woven a web of lies to hoodwink the people.” “The Modi government is indulging in this cover-up conspiracy to hide its sinister role in helping and promoting a banned company AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmecanica,” he said.
Michel was brought to India just days before the start of the winter session of Parliament during which the Congress is planning to scale up its campaign over the Rafale deal. On the last day of campaigning in Rajasthan, Mr. Modi referred to Michel at a rally. “The government has brought the middleman involved in a helicopter scam from Dubai. He served politicians and will now disclose secrets,” he said.
“While the BJP and Mr. Modi are seeking fake credit without being subjected to investigation by the CBI for their own complicity and connivance, they are latching onto Christian Michel for committing a smear campaign against Opposition leaders. The truth about Christian Michel is already out in the open,” Mr. Surjewala said.
'False confessional statement'
He said that after his detention in July, Christian Michel’s advocate Rosemary Patrizi Dos Anjos highlighted how the Modi government and its agencies were forcing him to sign a false confessional statement naming UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in return for exoneration in the case. “Even Christian Michel’s sister had reiterated that he was coerced into naming Opposition leaders for his exoneration,” he said.
“Never before in Indian history has a Prime Minister been found ‘complicit’ in gaining ‘false evidence’ against Opposition leaders for revenge,” he said.
Referring to the earlier TV interviews of Christian Michel’s sister, Mr. Surjewala said: “This shocking expose is also a testimony to the disease in the CBI and the ED,prostrating before the Prime Minister, of collecting fake and false evidence with the sole aim of tarnishing the reputation of Opposition leaders.”
