Modi fires AgustaWestland, National Herald salvos at Congress

Sumerpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday termed the Congress party as the architect of corruption, a fact which has come to the fore in the form of AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam and the National Herald case.

Prime Minister Modi, who was addressing an election rally at Sumerpur in Pali district, said, "During the UPA's rule, AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam took place. After we came to power at the Centre, the investigation was conducted into the matter. One person (Christian Michel) from Dubai has been found involved in the case. Now 'Rajdaar' will reveal all secrets. We don't know how far this issue will go."

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On Tuesday Christian Michel, a British national and alleged middleman in Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, which was signed in February 2019, was extradited to India from Dubai. He has been kept at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters in New Delhi and is likely to be produced in a competent court here on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandh for their alleged involvement in the National Herald case. "We won in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The apex court said that the Central government has the right to reassess the income tax returns of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Invoking his social background, Prime Minister Modi said, "No one had ever thought that a 'chaiwala' will bring down a party that ruled for four generations in the county. I have taken them to the court and they had to seek bail in the cases related to their acts of corruption."

It is worth mentioning that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a case against Rahul and his mother Sonia Gandhi and others in 2012 accusing them of misusing party funds to buy a firm that published the National Herald newspaper. In his complaint, Swamy also alleged that then Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and others committed a fraud of nearly Rs 16 billion by acquiring a public limited company Associated Journals Limited (AJL), through the private company, Young Indian.

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Prime Minister Modi also accused the Congress of doing "very little" for the poor as the party was "only concerned about being in power." "I was not born with a silver spoon. I have seen poverty. After coming to power, I believe that there is no reason for India to be poor after so many years of independence. Only one family is the reason for our poverty. They were only interested in power. How the Congress, which created so many divisions in the society in the last 70 years, can work for the people? First, they should give the account of these 70 years. Only then they should ask for the account of our 4.5 years' rule," he said

Exuding confidence that the BJP would retain power in Rajasthan, Prime Minister Modi said, "Wherever I traveled and met the people in the state, I have felt that they have decided to elect the BJP once again. People of Rajasthan have decided. Now, our work is to win every polling booth. I don't want to win just Rajasthan. I want to win every polling booth."

The single-phase Assembly election in Rajasthan is scheduled to be held on December 7. The counting of votes will take place on December 11. (ANI)

• #Prime Minister
• #Narendra Modi
• #Congress
• #bjp
• #AgustaWestland
• #AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam
• #National Herald case