VVIP chopper scam: Sonia, Rahul to lead Congress' 'Save Democracy' rally in Delhi today

Jairam Ramesh accused PM Narendra Modi of "masterminding a conspiracy to implicate" Congress leadership in the AgustaWestland case.

New Delhi: As BJP and Congress continue to exchange barbs over AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will lead 'Save Democracy' rally in the national capital on Friday.

The rally planned at the Jantar Mantar is aimed at targetting the Bharatiya Janata Party led central government, which has taken on the Congress over the alleged Rs 3600 crore VVIP chopper scam.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh will also take part in the rally.

The grand old party's rally is being held in the backdrop of imposition of President's Rule in party-ruled Uttarkhand and Arunachal Pradesh and alleged attempts to destabilise the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "masterminding a conspiracy to implicate" Congress leadership in the AgustaWestland case.

"The cat is out by the manner in which the Prime Minister last night tweeted and hailed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's reply in Rajya Sabha on the issue. It shows not only his mindset but his strategy too", Ramesh said.

On January 01, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force (IAF) over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal.

The central agency has also issued Letters Rogatory (judicial requests) to ten countries in this case.

The issue has become major political affair in the country after a court in Milan, Italy, jailed AgustaWestland's former head Bruno Spagnolini on the charges of false accounting and corruption in the sale of the firm's 12 VVIP choppers to India.

Some documents submitted to the court contain the names of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president, her political adviser Ahmad Patel and former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi.