Wishesh Magazine June 2016

INFOCUS
These conversations have
mentions of “Mrs Gandhi”
being the “driving force
behind the VIP”, and she
and her “closest advisers”
Ahmed Patel has to be
“the aim of the British high
commissioner” to target to
materialise the deal.
40
In February 2010, the
Congress-led UPA
government had signed a
contract with the UK-based
helicopter manufacturing
company AgustaWestland
to purchase 12 AW101
helicopters for the Indian
Air Force for Rs 3,600
crore. These choppers were
supposed to be used for
flying the President of India,
the Prime Minister, and other
such VVIPs.
In February 2013, Italian
police arrested Agusta
Westland CEO Bruno
Spagnolini and Guiseppe
Orsi, chairman of
AgustaWestland’s parent
company Finmeccanica, on
charges of paying bribes
to win the VVIP chopper
deal with the Indian Air
Force. This led to the UPA
government putting a hold on
the deal. The then Defence
Minister AK Antony ordered
a CBI probe into the matter.
In 2014, the UPA
government cancelled the
deal with AgustaWestland on
grounds of the integrity pact
being violated. Most of the
money paid for the deal is
said to have been recovered.
Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi,
the former Indian Air Force
chief, is being accused of
having tweaked with the
altitude requirements in
favour of AgustaWestland
winning the VVIP chopper
deal. Prior to Tyagi
becoming the Air Force
chief, the IAF is said to
have opposed purchasing
AgustaWestland’s AW101
as they were not capable of
flying in high-altitude areas
like Siachen and Tiger Hill.
Tyagi “conceded to reduce”
the altitude requirements
and brought AgustaWestland
back into the race for the
chopper deal.
The gloves were off inside
and outside the Parliament
with the BJP and Congress
trading charges over alleged
payoffs in the supply of 12
AgustaWestland helicopters
WWW.WISHESH.COM | JUNE 2016