In a series of tweets, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday renewed his attacks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother over the Enforcement Directorate claims that the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam Christian Michel James had passed on a question about Mrs Gandhi to his lawyer.

Headlining his tweets as “Trails of the AgustaWestland Case...the SOS of Christian Michel”, Shah asked: “Does anyone know why Christian Michel passed on the details of questioning on Mrs. Gandhi to his Lawyer? Did he want them to be passed on to Mrs. Gandhi herself? Why?”

On December 29, the Enforcement Directorate had told a Delhi court that Michel was misusing his legal access by handing his lawyers notes on how he should deal with questions on a “Mrs Gandhi” and had mentioned a certain “son of the Italian lady who could be the Prime Minister”.

“Michel’s lawyer has admitted that the paper was indeed passed on to him. He thought that it was a list of medicines, which could have been transparently given in any case. We have heard of Zandu Balm and Tiger Balm but what is this ‘Family Balm’ that every middleman wants?,” Shah wrote in a second tweet.

The Enforcement Directorate’s submission in court led to a slew of allegations being levelled against each other by the BJP and the Congress. While the Congress accused the BJP of misusing agencies to smear the Gandhi family name, the latter demanded an explanation from the Opposition party.

Referring to the expulsion of Michel’s lawyer Aljo K Joseph from the Congress party, Shah said that the expulsion was nothing but a sham.

“In any case, what must be told again and again is the Congress background of Michel’s lawyer. The so called expulsion remains a SHAM. He remains the conduit between Michel and Mrs. Gandhi!,” Shah wrote in a third tweet.

Continuing his attack on the Congress, Amit Shah wrote in a fourth tweet that Michel’s lawyer must reveal the 2008 document which referred to Mrs Gandhi.

“In national interest, Michel’s lawyer must tell us about the existence of documents of 2008, which make a reference to Mrs. Gandhi. Evidently, the friendship between Michel and one family in India is time tested and deep,” Shah wrote.

Earlier in the day, former defence minister AK Antony came out in defence of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi saying that the two had never interfered in any defence deal.

First Published: Dec 31, 2018 15:15 IST