AgustaWestland scam: Congress hits back at BJP after Christian Michel's extradition

New Delhi: Highlighting how it was the UPA government which had launched a probe into the AgustaWestland chopper scam, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday launched a counter-attack against a BJP after the extradition of suspected middleman Christian Michel.

A day after BJP said Michel's extradition from UAE is a massive achievement for the Narendra Modi government and that it could hurt Gandhi family, Surjewala fired reverse allegations. "Ulta chor kotwal ko dante (Pot calling the kettle black) is being seen currently. It was the UPA government which launched a probe into the scam, filed FIR and gave the case to CBI to investigate and black-listed AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica. It was NDA that put Agusta in the 'Make in India' list," he said at a press conference.

Surjewala's comments came shortly after PM Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Rajasthan's Pali, said that Michel's extradition would 'spill the beans'.

Michel, meanwhile, was questioned for most parts of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at the CBI headquarters and will be produced in Patiala House Court later in the day. His role in the controversial Rs 3,546 crore for VVIP chopper deals is being probed and investigative agencies are seeking to find out if and how much kickbacks were paid for the deal to go through.