Alleging that the Italian copter deal has the “makings of a second Bofors scam”, the BJP on Wednesday asked the government how long it will “protect” the bribe-takers and said it will raise the issue during the Budget Session of Parliament. The CPI(M) demanded that the contract for the '3,600-crore VVIP copter deal be scrapped in the wake of bribery charges and said it will seek the government’s response on the issue in the upcoming Budget Session. Demanding that the helicopter deal should be reviewed and the supply of the remaining nine copters be stopped till “all doubts are cleared”, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said, “It is a Bofors-like case. When bribe-giver has been caught, why can’t the bribe-taker be identified. Till when will the Indian government save the bribe-takers... the BJP will raise the issue seriously in the Budget Session and seek a reply from the government to identify who the bribe-takers are and who are protecting them.” Party’s chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “This deal raises a serious question. There was one gentleman Ottavio Quattrochhi from Italy who was involved in the Bofors scam. Several attempts were made to protect him. This helicopter company is also from Italy. Was this a factor in no probe being done in the matter for the past one year ” Though the BJP did not spell out its strategy on the issue, Mr Prasad said the party will raise this matter strongly inside and outside Parliament. Coming down heavily on defence minister A.K. Antony, Mr Prasad said he should have called the Italian ambassador to discuss the reports of financial irregularities in the Augusta Westland VVIP copter deal. “Why did Antony not write to the Italian defence minister or send a delegation to Italy to get more details ” Mr Prasad said. Mr Antony has asked the CBI to give an early report into alleged kickbacks in the helicopter deal. Demanding an independent probe into the case, the CPI(M), in a statement said, “The contract for the helicopters should be cancelled. The CBI investigations should be supervised by the Supreme Court and only then the people will have the confidence that we will get to the bottom of this affair.” Senior party leader Sitaram Yechury said, “We want an independent probe into the matter urgently and, unlike other probes, the matter should not be dragged for years. We are definitely going to raise the issue in the Budget Session and the defence minister will have to answer in Parliament.”
