Sonia Gandhi is a "sherni" (lioness), said the Congress' Jyotiraditya Scindia in speech in the Lok Sabha today as he took on the BJP in a debate on the AgustaWestland scam. 


NDTV reports that Scindia said the Congress President's name does not appear in any authenticated document related to the Rs. 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal and pointed to the government benches as he added, "Sonia Gandhi is a sherni who they are afraid of."


The 44-year-old Congress lawmaker referred to a letter from Peter Hullet, an Italian officer in AgustaWestland's India office, and said, "Hullet had written, Mrs Gandhi and her closest set of advisers are the people the high commissioner should value... Does this government imply that high-commissioners and diplomatic heads of different countries wish to meet our leaders in cases of corruption?"


The documents that the BJP has based its accusations against Mrs Gandhi on, Mr Scindia said, was "an unverified piece of paper that does not contain anyone's signature."


Last month, an Italian court convicted Agusta officials for paying bribes in India. In his order the judge referred to documents seized from middlemen and Agusta executives which mentioned Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders.


The BJP alleges that Congress leaders colluded in corruption with Agusta officials.


Jyotiraditya Scindia quoted the judgment passed by the Milan court where the Judge, Marco Maiga, had said: "We have no evidence against Sonia Gandhi. Only a mention of her in the facts, Mrs Gandhi has only been indicated as someone who will fly in the VVIP helicopters."