New Delhi: The relationship between the Congress and the Westland Helicopters can be traced back to 1980s. In 1986, the Congress Government at the Centre mysteriously changed its stand and signed a deal with the Westland Helicopters for the supply of 21 civilian choppers. Just a year ago, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s claimed these helicopters did not meet the requirement. All of the choppers were grounded in five years.
“It is short in one very crucial area which affects safety,” Rajiv told the Rajya Sabha on May 2, 1985. He elaborated, “Apart from that, in the areas which were not specified in the particular document, there are other helicopters which are superior to it in many ways.”
A year later, the Rajiv Government dropped its objection and inked an agreement with Westland. On March 19, 1986, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jagdish Tytler told Parliament, “Government has decided to purchase 21 Westland helicopters to cater to the requirements of the Petroleum Sector and for scheduled/non-scheduled services provided by the Helicopter Corporation of India.”
16/02/13 Kumar Uttam/Daily Pioneer
