Interview the Media Ignored: Swamy Says "Someone" in the Modi Government Tried To "Protect" "Sonia Gandhi" on AgustaWestland

NEW DELHI: One of the most interesting, and revealing interviews on the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal that has been ignored by the media stuck on government fed information, is of stormtrooper Subramanian Swamy by journalist Karan Thapar. Swamy, in the face, of hard questioning was unable to hold his own against the terrier-like Thapar and lapsed regularly to hurling personal insults questioning Thapar’s credibility, and at one stage even saying, “your parents have not brought you up properly.”

Thapar ignored the insults being thrown at him, and continued with the interview of about 40 minutes during which Swamy was unable to give a firm indication that his demand for Congress president Sonia Gandhi to be interrogated by the CBI was based on more than an initial letter from arms dealer Christian Michel that she was the ‘driving force’ behind the deal. More so as Thapar confronted him with contradictory claims by Michel where he had stated that he was being forced by Indian investigating agencies to implicate the Gandhi’s in the deal with the assurance that all cases and the investigation against him would be dropped.

Swamy, who was fielded as the main protagonist against the Congress president on this deal in the Rajya Sabha by the government, was finally reduced to maintaining that he had information but would not share it with Thapar. And why not? “Because I do not trust you”. As Thapar said that this would make people watching the interview feel that Swamy did not have the evidence to prove the point against Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party. The Rajya Sabha MP dismissed the suggestion by saying that the social media would have the last word.. “They will all tweet they will say awful things about you”.. and that Thapar should look to his Twitter account for the response. It is no secret that the BJP employs a battery of trolls who lambast all with differing viewpoints on the microblogging site.

But the interview stands out for three other important points that Swamy made against the Modi government and his former and present BJP colleagues.

One, towards the end when he was questioned as to why the Modi government did not go in appeal on the AgustaWestland deal, even though the earlier UPA government was part of the prosecution. Opposition members had raised the same question during the debate in Parliament wondering as to why the Modi government had not raised the issue for two long years. Whose invisible hand ensured this, Thapar wanted to know. To this Swamy said “yes it should have been investigated”. He said that he knew who was responsible but would not say despite persistent questioning with the usual, “I do not trust you.” Thapar went on to say “so this was a lapse….” and interestingly Swamy instead of letting it go interrupted with, “it was not lapse it was complicity.” Thapar said, “someone in the Modi government…” with Swamy interrupting again to clarify, “I did not say it was the Modi government.”

The journalist pointed out that it had to be the Modi government as the formal letter was sent to the court by the Indian embassy in Rome saying that the government was not going in appeal, and hence the instructions could have come only from the government. To this Swamy replied, “of course it was sent by the government, but the government could have been misled.” He then refused to disclose any names despite Thapar’s sub questions, is it the Attorney General, is it Arun Jaitley? “Someone was trying to protect Sonia Gandhi…” he said.

The second Swamy attack was on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley when Thapar reminded him that just recently in Frankfurt the latter had said, “it is only when substantive evidence comes out that there will be reason to believe who has taken the money.” This means, Thapar said, that according to Jaitley there was no reason to believe that Sonia Gandhi had taken the money in bribes. A visibly irritated Swamy said, “you have to question him. I have never asked him about the National Herald either, there also he said that if they pay back the money it will all be over. That is all rubbish. The fact is that it is my opinion, and I express my opinion.”

When Thapar reminded him that this was coming from Jaitley the former Law Minister , the current Finance Minister to which Swamy said, “you should add one more qualification that he is your friend.” He went on to say that he too had been the Law Minister, he was the Commerce Minister, he was a Member of Parliament for longer (than Jaitley), three times directly elected and “I have evaluated the evidence, I have a track record, I am telling you she is guilty.” “She is guilty as hell” the Rajya Sabha MP said at one stage.

And three, was a no holds barred attack on India’s first National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra who was very close to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Thapar reminded Swamy that the first decision to lower the height requisition for the choppers that is said to have helped qualify the AgustaWestland choppers for the tender---from 6000 metres to 4500 metres---was taken by NSA Brajesh Mishra under the Vajpayee government. Swamy agreed to this but said that this was minuted decision, but it was not a government decision and hence not binding. Thapar persisted that the first change was made here to which Swamy replied, “he (Mishra) was a bug for the Congress party.” A surprised Thapar used the words cat paw, Trojan horse, to which Swamy responded with a firm “yes, he was a Trojan Horse.”