The Congress on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying and weaving a “mesh of deception” in the case AgustaWestland Helicopter purchase and its parent company Finmecanica.

At a press conference held in New Delhi on 5 December, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala charged PM Modi of being the “protector, benefactor and promoter” of AgustaWestland by “exonerating” the Italian defence and aerospace major, which was blacklisted by the UPA in 2013.

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Demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe on the PM in his “role”, the Congress said that PM Modi was using British national Christian Michel James, a middleman wanted in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, to “launch a smear campaign” against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

“Never before in the history of India has a Prime Minister been found complicit in gaining ‘false evidence’ against opposition leaders to seek revenge,” alleged Surjewala.

“This shocking expose is also a testimony to the disease prevailing in CBI/ED prostrating before the Prime Minister to collect fake and false evidence with a single handed aim of tarnishing the reputation of opposition leaders and serving the political masters as a ‘captive puppet’ & a ‘willing tool’ of malicious conspiracy,” he added.

The Congress cited the statement issued by Rosemary Patrizi Dos Anjos, advocate for Christian Michael in July 2018 stating that the “Modi government and its agencies were forcing Michael to sign a false confessional statement naming Sonia Gandhi in return for complete exoneration from any charge whatsoever in the AgustaWestland Case”.

Listing out the details of the case during the UPA rule, Surjewala said that AgustaWestland, whose parent company is Finmecanica, was given a contract for purchase of 12 helicopters for Rs 3,546 crore in February 2010.

In 2013 the deal was cancelled and the case handed over to the CBI. In 2014, the UPA government also filed a case for encashment of International guarantees of AgustaWestland to recover Euro 2,28,00,00,00 in Milan, Italy, which was won on 23 May the same year.

Surjewala said that the then UPA government recovered a total of Rs 2,068 crore from Agusta Westland against the payment of Rs 1,620 crore.

Accusing the Modi government of complicity and connivance with AgustaWestland, the spokesperson said, “The banning of AgustaWestland and its parent company, Finmecanica, was undone by Modi government despite pendency of a CBI case and despite violation of the ‘integrity clause’, for which its contract was terminated.”

Congress also alleged that the Modi government sought a special opinion from the Attorney General in July 2014 and permitted AgustaWestland/Finmecanica to be part of ‘Make-in-India’ and bid for 100 Naval Utility Helicopters.

The party said that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was the Defence Minister when investment proposals of AgustaWestland/Finmecanica were cleared through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for manufacture of AW119 helicopters in partnership with Tata.

“On 8 January 2018, an Italian Appeals Court acquitted Mr Giuseppe Orsi, Former Chief Executive and Mr Bruno Spagnolini, Former Head of Helicopter Unit from any wrongdoing in the sale of 12 helicopters to India. Modi Govt was a civil party for damages,” said Surjewala while stating that the Modi government lost the appeals against the Italian firm.

Modi government has chosen to not file an appeal following the Milan court’s 17 September 2018 decision affirming the order and upholding the finding of ‘no graft or wrong doing’ by any Indian official.

The Congress said that the BJP is facing “imminent defeat” in the five assembly elections and is therefore seeking to “weave a web of lies, perpetuate falsehoods and construct a mesh of deception to hoodwink the people of India”.

Earlier today, the PM said that Michel has taken Sonia Gandhi’s name in the alleged wrongdoings.

Addressing an election rally in Sumerpur, Rajasthan, he said that his government succeeded in the Supreme Court when it said the government had all the right to reassess the past income tax returns of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, who have been claiming that their assessment is “final” after doing “loot”.

“Let us see, how long will you escape (in the case),” Modi said.