Congress to move privilege motion in Parliament against PM, Defence Minister over Rafale

According to the Modi government, the Rafale deal signed between India and France is bound by a secrecy pact, and hence no information about its cost can be made available on a public platform.

New Delhi: The Congress will move a privilege motion in Lok Sabha against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for making 'misleading statements' over the Rafale fighter jet during debate on the no-confidence motion. The development was announced on Tuesday by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.

During the no-confidence debate in Parliament last week, the issue of Rafale fighter jets deal between India and France were raised on the floor of the House, primarily by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. 

The Gandhi scion rejected government's claims of a secrecy pact with France over the high-profile deal and went on to allege that Sitharaman had lied to the country under pressure from Pm Modi. The allegations were, however, swiftly rejected by the governments of both India and France.

Designed by Dassault, Rafale is a fighter aircraft with a French twin-engine and canard-delta wing. The fighter jet is equipped with a wide range of weapons and is designed by its manufacturers to perform some crucial aviation roles, which include air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance and ground support. Besides, the Rafale fighter jets can also be helpful for the armed forces during in-depth strikes, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence missions. 

According to the Modi government, the deal signed between India and France for the same is bound by a secrecy pact, and hence no information about its cost can be made available on a public platform.