Why all scams end up at Congress’ doorstep?: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad. (File Photo: IANS)

New Delhi – Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday targeted the Congress, posing why all the major scams in India end up at its doorsteps.

“We wonder as to how come all the scams in this country end up at their (Congress’) doorsteps? This is not about one scam but a long legacy of scams spread over sky, land and water,” said Prasad, the senior BJP leader and union minister for communications and information technology.

He said in the sky it is spectrum and Agusta chopper scams, on the land there are commonwealth and Adarsh scams and in the water there is submarine scams which occurred when the Congress was in power.

“We want to ask madam Sonia Gandhi how come probes into this long series of scams which have become the benchmark of UPA-I and UPA-II governments — and in which court trials are on — are anti-national and anti-democracy?” Prasad said.

He said that whenever a probe is initiated into corruption by the Congress, “it is deemed as anti-democratic and anti-national”.

“This is the same language used by Indira Gandhi after Allahabad debacle, by Rajiv Gandhi during Bofors scandal and the same language was being used today by Sonia Gandhi and others,” he said, adding the “nation has evolved in last 45 years but the Congress has not”.

Prasad also questioned as to why key players in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, including former national security advisor M.K. Narayanan, were not questioned by the CBI till July 2014.

“The Agusta scam came to light in 2012 but the key players were not questioned till June-July 2014 when the BJP came to power. Why? And why did the CBI did not forward the file to Enforcement Directorate for nine months after lodging the FIR in the case?” Prasad asked.

He said the agencies concerned would investigate the entire matter impartially and without any pressure.

Taking pot shots at the Congress demonstration earlier in the day on Friday, Prasad said in his view it was the “save the family” exercise rather than “save the nation” call.