Does Congress want to save Christian Michel, asks Amit Shah

BJP has said that the extradition of Christian Michel - the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam - is a major achievement for the Narendra Modi government.

Christian Michel at CBI headquarters in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

Jaipur: Lashing out at Congress for questioning the timing of extradition of Christian Michel, BJP president Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the party has no issue to challenge his party with.

Michel is a prime accused in the infamous AgustaWestland chopper scam and is suspected to have been a middleman who received money for the deal. He was brought to India late Tuesday night after a UAE court cleared the way for extradition. While BJP claimed it as a big win for the Narendra Modi government, Congress' Salman Khurshid targeted CBI of looking for someone who could implicate leaders of his party.

Shah, however, said that Congress is confused. "Congress has no other issue. What is wrong if we nabbed the middleman? Does the opposition want to save him?" he said.

The BJP on Tuesday said that the extradition of Michel could spell trouble for the Gandhi family. "Extradition of Christian Michel is a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government. Now that he will be available to the CBI, the 'real' bribe-receivers of the AgustaWestland bribes scandal will be exposed," party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. "His extradition and custody could spell serious trouble for the Congress' first family."

Meanwhile, it is reported that Michel was questioned at the CBI headquarters for most parts of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and that he would be produced in Patiala House Court later in the day.