Modi creating 'web of lies' against Cong's top leaders

The Congress on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of carrying out a “concerted conspiracy” against Opposition leaders by allegedly forcing the middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal to implicate UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in exchange for complete exoneration from the case.

“Never before in the history of India has a Prime Minister been found complicit in gaining 'false evidence' against Opposition leaders to seek revenge,” Congress' chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

Surjewala said central investigating agencies CBI and ED were pressurising AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel into signing a false confessional statement naming Gandhi.

“Indian agencies have failed to produce any evidence in the courts in Dubai so far and are merely involved in hatching a conspiracy against leaders of the opposition and using Christian Michel as a tool for the purpose,” he said.

Surjewala cited a statement given by Michel’s lawyer, which claimed that investigators were trying to coax the false statement that he personally knew Gandhi when the chopper deal was clinched.

Contract cancelled

Surjewala said the Congress-led UPA government had cancelled the AgustaWestland contract for the supply of 12 helicopters for use of VVIPs and asked the CBI to probe the alleged irregularities in the deal.

He said the UPA government had also encashed the bank guarantees to recover Rs 2,068 crore against a payment of Rs 1,620 crore and confiscated three choppers supplied by the company.

Michel was detained in Dubai about a month back and the government has been trying to get him extradited to India in connection with the alleged scam.