My Opinion

While the Italian Court’s Verdict on the Agusta Westland deal may have come out now, it was way back in 2012 that the UPA government had accepted that bribes had been accepted and who the beneficiaries of this deal were. The deal was subsequently cancelled by the then government and a CBI enquiry was finally ordered. Now the Modi Government has also reiterated that corruption has taken place but then this is not something new. The issue of payoffs in this deal is being talked about for the past four years. What people want are the names of those involved. Today the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar even said that those who are being questioned are simply small fries who happened to wash their hands in a flowing river of corruption and that the government would find out where the river was heading to. While he did assure that this probe will not go the Bofors way, he did not outline any timeframe. It would have been better if Parrikar would have mentioned exactly by when the real culprits will be nailed.

For the past few months Lalu Prasad Yadav was miffed at Baba Ramdev who he alleged had lost track and was indulging in politics. But today he appeared to sing a different song when he proclaimed that Ramdev was very dear to him and one of his own. Ramdev returned the favour by praising Lalu. He said Lalu has several years ahead of him and he has suggested remedies to the RJD supremo to help him regain his energy. This definitely is a positive sign. Personal equations should never get clouded by ideological differences or political leanings. And the camaraderie between them will augur well since both Lalu and Swami Ramdev are known to be very jovial by nature.

After the defence Minister’s speech in Parliament today, the Congress has demanded that the CBI probe in the Augusta Westland deal should be monitored by the Supreme Court. They staged a walkout when they did not receive a satisfactory reply from the Government . This entire controversy has now taken a political turn. The biggest challenge for government however is to speed up investigations which would have to be time bound and reveal names of all those who have taken bribes otherwise the government’s argument in the House would eventually prove to be futile.

There has been an unprecedented heat wave in these areas…even a small spark is igniting a huge fire in no time. There are large pine forests in these mountains and because of the falling leaves, the entire ground is strewn with dried leaves that easily catch fire. It is therefore important to exercise caution. However if there is any involvement of the timber mafia in these fires, the government much catch them and take strong action against them.

Initially it appeared as if the UN Court’s ruling on the Italian Marine had gone against India and allows him to return home but when details began to emerge, it was clear that the ruling was actually in India’s favour. The UN tribunal has ruled that the marine would have to appear in front of a Supreme Court nominated authority and the apex court will decide on the frequency of such appearances and if established that the marine was caught in Indian waters, then he would have to return to India and face trial. Basically this means that Salvatore Girone’s return to Italy does not translate to his being cleared of charges.

Vijay Mallya is perhaps gradually beginning to realise that he does not have much options left. He is therefore time and again giving clarifications and is talking about a settlement. His passport has been cancelled and the government has also made a formal request with Britain for his deportation. The pressure is on Mallya and with the matter having taken such a political turn it would now be difficult for Mallya to save himself.

There is no doubt that chopper deal could not have been finalised without the clearance of the then Air Force Chief. The Air Force appears to have relaxed several technical norms and specifications in favour of this deal. The altitude at which such choppers are supposed to fly was reduced and the trial runs which were to take place in India were allowed to take place in the premises of the company. Besides even the bidding process was relaxed for Agusta Westland since as per norms only original equipment manufacturers are allowed to participate. SP Tyagi the former Air Force Chief will be questioned on why several such concessions were allowed in this deal and whether he received any kickbacks or not. Perhaps the biggest political question would be under whose instructions did Tyagi undertake such decisions.

After Kabir Khan was heckled at the Karachi airport he tweeted that such incidents needed to be ignored and there was no need to give such undue importance. Perhaps Kabir Khan has forgotten that sometime back when the issue was rife, it was he who had raised concerns over intolerance being on the rise in India!

Dr Subramanian Swamy today raised 2-3 very potent points pertaining to the Agusta Westland deal. He said it wasn’t that important whether the company was blacklisted or not and who blacklisted it. What is more important is that the person who offered the bribe has been convicted but the person who received the bribe needs to be caught. Secondly the Italian Court’s judgement has made several references to the Gandhi family and thirdly Dr Swamy said that with the Italian Court having given its judgement on the 6th of April, probe pertaining to the irregularities in the Agusta Westland deal would now begin.

Pakistan’s motives became amply clear when during the talks between the two foreign secretaries it tweeted that the core issue was Kashmir and the talks were pegged only on Kashmir. Even before the meeting had ended, it was evident that Pakistan was simply making a show of its commitment as far as bilateral ties between the two countries are concerned. Ghulam Nabi Azad has rightfully pointed out that India cannot afford to go soft…India would have to deal very strongly with Pakistan. One can hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will adopt a tough stand and give a fitting reply to Pakistan in a language that it understands.

Milkha Singh could perhaps give it a thought…Salman Khan is a superstar and the most popular actor in the country. His body building has inspired lakhs of youngsters. It would therefore be incorrect to say that his appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the Rio Olympics is unnecessary. Salman has in the past promoted Football and Kabaddi. And it is well known that other than cricket no other game not even the Olympics have generated much interest amongst people. With Salman Khan as brand ambassador, the Olympics would become more popular and attract lot more viewership which would be beneficial for the players.

Pakistan has been in a turmoil since the names of Nawaz Sharif and his family members emerged in the Panama Papers. There are many rumours and speculations doing the rounds. Just two days ago, Pakistan’s Army chief General Raheel Sharif had called for bringing an end to corruption from the top to the bottom. This is being construed as a conflict between the Pakistan army and Nawaz Sharif. Conflict could be true, which has given rise to talk of a coup. But the flair with which Nawaz Sharif addressed the nation today, it appears that his belief is intact, he is under no pressure and will not be resigning.