BJP today escalated its attack on Congress over the Augusta Westland deal following an Italian court's observation that there is reasonable belief that corruption took place in the VVIPs helicopter deal. <br/><br/>The Court also ruled that the deal involved payoff to Indian officials and found former chief of Finmeccanica and a head of chopper division of Agusta Westland guilty of corruption and money laundering. The ruling party questioned the Congress and former Defence Minister A K Antony that the bribe givers have been convicted and what about the bribe takers. <br/><br/>Talking to reporters in New Delhi, senior party leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, in March 2013, Mr. Antony himself had accepted bribe was taken in the deal. He said the former Defence Minister must come out clean whether any Congress leader was involved in it or not. <br/><br/>Mr. Prasad also accused the UPA government of delaying the probe into the matter. The Augusta Westland deal is related to purchase of 12 helicopters for VVIPs from Italian manufacturer, Finmeccanica in 2010 during UPA rule.<br/><br/>Reacting to the allegations, the Congress today rejected BJP's charges that kickbacks were received for the agreement signed between Centre and Augusta Westland on VVIP Choppers. Briefing media in New Delhi, Congress leader Anand Sharma accused BJP Government of unleashing a vicious propaganda on the agreement. He questioned that, why the Government allowed Augusta to bid for projects in Indian Navy and invited it for Make in India, removing it from blacklisted company. <br/><br/><br/>Meanwhile, the BJP plans to target Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders on the issue in Parliament. Party President Amit Shah and top leaders including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held a meeting in the Parliament House this evening and chalked out a strategy to checkmate the Congress. This came after media reports that an Italian court has reportedly described how the firm paid bribes to top Congress leaders to bag the deal.<br/><br/>Reports say that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy will rake up the chopper deal issue in the Upper House. In the Lok Sabha, Meenakshi Lekhi is expected to raise the issue. The ruling party will also raise the issues of Ishrat Jahan encounter case and Aircel-Maxis deal to corner the Congress.

BJP today escalated its attack on Congress over the Augusta Westland deal following an Italian court's observation that there is reasonable belief that corruption took place in the VVIPs helicopter deal. <br/><br/>The Court also ruled that the deal involved payoff to Indian officials and found former chief of Finmeccanica and a head of chopper division of Agusta Westland guilty of corruption and money laundering. <br/><br/>The ruling party questioned the Congress and former Defence Minister A K Antony that the bribe givers have been convicted and what about the bribe takers. <br/><br/>Talking to reporters in New Delhi, senior party leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, in March 2013, Mr. Antony himself had accepted bribe was taken in the deal. He said the former Defence Minister must come out clean whether any Congress leader was involved in it or not. <br/><br/>Mr. Prasad also accused the UPA government of delaying the probe into the matter. The Augusta Westland deal is related to purchase of 12 helicopters for VVIPs from Italian manufacturer, Finmeccanica in 2010 during UPA rule.