‘Agusta first, all other issues later’: Ministers target Sonia, Rahul Gandhi

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Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of raking up AgustaWestland to divert attention from demonetisation, while former defence minister A K Antony defended Sonia, saying she had no role in the deal.

Answering a question about ruling MPs storming Lok Sabha’s well being unprecdented, Kumar said, “The Agusta exposé too is unprecedented… Many members wanted to know if Sonia wants to give a reply on it.”

Antony said the BJP will make a “laughing stock” of itself if it drags Sonia into the controversy. “The helicopters are meant for the use of the President, vice president and PM. Soniaji has nothing to do with that. In the Italian court itself it was mentioned,” he said.

Naidu demanded that Parliament discuss the deal as many names had cropped up in the “diary” of alleged middleman Christian Michel.

“My advice to them is, first face this Agusta heat, respond to these allegations and then discuss other issues also. The government has no problem,” Naidu said.

Kharge said, “AgustaWestland has been discussed [earlier] but demonetisation has not. Their intention is to divert.”

Ananth Kumar also took on the Left and TMC: “He [Michel] has written substantial things like who informed whom. My straight question to the Comrades and Trinamool is about their position on AgustaWestland.”

Asked if the disruption has dented the BJP’s image, Kumar said a “clear message has gone across the country that Congress has something to hide and… blocked the debate. The debate was lost due to the myopic strategy of Congress and Rahul Gandhi.”

About Rahul’s remarks, Jitendra Singh said, “The most hilarious point is that Rahul is only alleging that he will make an allegation. It’s like the Opposition parties discussing that they will discuss.”

Naqvi said Rahul “has been writing the last chapter of Congress-mukt Bharat with “a flopped, expired script”. “The country is moving towards becoming Congress-free and only the political drama of the Brand New Leader of the Grand Old Party is responsible for this. He said the Congress should realise that when “skeletons of corruption” start coming out from its well, it will disturb the political mathematics of their “Yuvraj”.