Aerial Assault

The BJP will use the AgustaWestland case to counter Rahul Gandhi, who has been on the offensive against Narendra Modi’s anti-corruption credentials.

- Pratul Sharma & Soni Mishra

From the historic Battle of the Alps to their rivalry on the football field, Italy and France have always had the trickiest of relations.

The two neighbours are all set to clash once again, but this time nearly 7,000km from home, on the Indian political battlefield. As India steps into election season, the names of Italian helicopter company AgustaWestland and French fighter jet Rafale will be increasingly heard across the country, with the BJP and the Congress using them to target each other.

The battle lines have been drawn as Christian James Michel, the key accused in the AgustaWestland helicopter scam, was brought to Delhi from the UAE on the night of December 4. A day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took credit for it at his election rallies in Rajasthan. “We have caught a raazdaar (insider) of the helicopter scam and brought him here. The entire family is now scared of the things which will be revealed,” said Modi, referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother, Sonia.

Michel is a prize catch for the Modi government. While it is yet to be seen what he would tell the CBI, the extradition has given a big boost to the prime minister and his party. BJP strategists believe that it is easier to convince voters about AgustaWestland as there is an accused in the case, he is in custody and the company in question is Italian, hinting at a link to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.