VVIP chopper scam: Give names of bribe takers, say BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP has used the conviction of Italian officials linked to the VVIP chopper scam to target the Congress and asked then defence minister AK Antony to name the party leaders allegedly involved in the scandal.

The party wanted to know who were the bribe takers after those who gave the bribe were convicted by an Italian court. Addressing a press conference, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said:

“Bribe-givers have been convicted. Why are bribe-takers silent? Antony should answer if leaders of Congress are involved in it or not. Are they from your party or not? Please come out clean.”

He said the treasury benches will use the issue to attack the Congress in Parliament. The chopper scam is not an isolated case of graft and “corruption is the byword of UPA-I and UPA-II”.

Prasad said Tuesday’s attack on Congress was only the “first chapter” as top BJP leaders, including its chief Amit Shah and Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu, huddled together to mull over their next move.

He alleged the CBI dilly-dallied on examining MK Narayanan and BV Wanchoo, who were named in the scam and were holding the post of governor in West Bengal and Goa respectively, during the erstwhile UPA government. It was only after the NDA came to power that the two were examined by the CBI in June-July 2014.