What really is Rafale deal: Congress releases a teaser to renew attack on Narendra Modi government

Congress has questioned PM Modi's continued silence on the Rafale deal.

NEW DELHI: Further raising the heat on the Narendra Modi government over its alleged complicity in the Rafael deal, the Congress party on Tuesday posted a small video in which it promised to shed more light on the controversial fighter jet deal between India and France.

Posting the teaser on the Rafale deal on its Twitter handle, the Congress party asked its followers to ''stay tuned as more will come on the issue later.''

What 'really' is the Rafale deal? NOT for dummies. Here's the teaser, stay tuned for more later today... pic.twitter.com/5p2lj9xOhY

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 14, 2018

This is the latest in the series of attack from the Congress party on the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal between India and France, which is now mired in controversy over the alleged escalation of price and the secrecy clause.

Continuing its attack on the Modi government on the Rafale deal, the Congress party had on Monday accused it of promoting crony capitalism and its own “self-interests” and ignoring national interests. 

Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's continued silence on the issue, the Rahul Gandhi-led party has asked why the Centre is not answering why Rs 41,205 crore more from the public money was paid for the Rafale fighters.

It also accused the Prime Minister of violating the ‘defence procurement procedure’.

The main opposition party alleged that Reliance Defence was chosen as the local partner for offset contracts worth crores, as per the 2016 annual report of Dassault Aviation and a press statement of Reliance Defence. 

Reliance Defence and Aerospace, in a statement, said that it or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the Defence Ministry till date, relating to the 36 Rafale aircraft. 

“This is absolutely unfounded and incorrect,” the company said.

It also claimed that there is no violation of any rule or preferential treatment to Dassault Reliance Aviation Ltd (DRAL), the joint venture company formed to fulfil the offset contracts in the Rafale deal. 

During the press conference, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the Prime Minister of making the announcement of “off-the-shelf” purchase of 36 fighter jets in Paris at a much higher rate than that negotiated by the UPA government.

“Rafale is a scam and the government is in the scam. Indians feel deprived while the BJP ensured that crony capitalism thrived. Instead of protecting India’s interest we have the Modi government protecting its self-interests,” Chaturvedi said in a statement. “The Prime Minister announced the off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft in Paris on April 10, 2015, for euro 7.5 billion (Rs. 1670.70 crore per aircraft which is Rs. 60,145 crore for 36 aircraft,” Chaturvedi said.

India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in 2015 for 36 Rafale fighter jets in ‘fly-away’ condition. The president of the ruling BJP, Amit Shah, had on Friday rejected allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal, saying credence should be given to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement instead of others. 

Shah said Sitharaman has said the base price of Rafale fighters negotiated by the government is less than what was finalised by the previous UPA dispensation.

Responding to Shah's claim, the Congress leader said when the international bid opened on December 12, 2012 ,for Rafale jets, the price negotiated by the UPA government was Rs. 526.10 crore per aircraft for 126 aircraft. 

As per the UPA deal, the price of 36 aircraft would have been Rs. 18,940 crore. Chaturvedi demanded an explanation on why an extra amount of Rs. 41,205 crore of the public money is being paid for the jets.

She asked why the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister were averse to placing the details of the commercial purchase price before Parliament. The government has said that a secrecy clause in the 2008 pact between India and France prohibits it from disclosing the pricing details in the purchase of the Rafale fighter jets. Experts describe the Rafale as a twin-engine “air-dominance” aircraft. In French, “Rafale” means a gust of wind.

The party also attacked Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, saying he is "a habitual offender in weaving lies" and is "brazenly misleading people sewing together a web of lies" to save Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Rafale deal.

The party demanded that Modi government immediately set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale scam and must answer to the questions raised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying he is spreading a "blatant lie" against Prime Minister Modi and his government over alleged corruption in the Rafale deal to escape the Income Tax Department inquiry against him related to the National Herald case.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Modi government`s Law Minister is a habitual offender in weaving lies based on figments of his imagination. Today again he brazenly misled the people by sewing together a web of lies to save his master, Narendra Modi." 

(With Agency inputs)