NEW DELHI: The emergence of the three low profile Tyagi brothers as key middlemen in swinging the huge defence contract for VVIP helicopters in 2010 has surprised many, given the dominance of India's arms trade by a few families as illegal agents.
In the past several years, the three Tyagi brothers have never been known to be major middlemen, capable of illegally manipulating big defence contracts. The influential position as arms dealers, though illegal, was reserved for the Nandas, the family of former Navy chief Admiral S M Nanda; the Choudhries, headed by Sudhir Choudhrie and mostly based in the UK; the Khannas, the politically connected family headed by NRI Vipin Khanna; and Mohinder Sahni among others.
Many in the national capital have known the Tyagis for a very long time, since the time of Rajiv Gandhi's government in the mid-80s. They were also familiar faces in power circles when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was PM. The eldest of them, Dr Rajiv Tyagi, a doctor who doesn't have the flamboyance of usual middlemen, has been around for almost 30 years now. But most don't seem to recall any major deal swung by the Tyagi brothers. It may well be that they were smart enough to suppress their illegal activities.
Italian court documents show that they had very warm relations with former IAF chief S P Tyagi, but it doesn't have any specific evidence to show that former air chief himself accepted bribes. The Tyagi brothers had accepted money, court documents show.
The unusual importance of the relatively unknown Tyagi brothers in fixing the deal also raises questions if they drew all their influence in the deal because of their cousin's important position. The youngest of the brothers, Sanjeev Tyagi, also called Juli, appears to be the most active in the particular deal, according to court documents.
In the world of defence purchases, prominent dealers are an important component for any deal with a foreign company. Despite integrity clause, and vehement denials by firms, it is well known that one of these middlemen are required to swing a deal in the complex, crowded Indian market.
Despite their acts being illegal, and many CBI investigations, not one of them has landed behind bars except for Abhishek Verma, who may have projected more importance than what he actually enjoyed in swinging deals. While Verma had flaunted himself as a major arms dealer, the fact remains that he was a peripheral player, desperately trying to swing big deals. But there is no evidence of him fixing any big deal. That role was reserved for the Nandas, Choudhries and the select members of this exclusive, rich and powerful clique.
Tyagi cousins got benefit of clout?
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Tyagi cousins got benefit of clout?
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Tyagi cousins got benefit of clout?
