INC chief Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi attacked center on Thursday and sought an explanation over Rafale aircraft deal why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were not responding to questions raised by the Opposition. Regarding the mega-defense deal, Congress President said that there was something fishy about the deal. In the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi has issued a notice under rule 357 to speak on the Rafael fighter deal.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitaraman are silent on the fighter deal as there was something fishy about it for buying 126 fighter jets. India is paying much more for the fighter jets to France’s Dassault than the previous deal negotiated with Congress-led UPA government for Rafale aircrafts, he said.
Congress President wants Central government’s clarification and he also specified some facts before the Parliament. Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Lower House said that there have certainly been serious irregularities in the Rafale fighter jets deal and BJP is hiding behind the confidentiality clause to avoid answering the opposition.
Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had promised earlier to share the financial aspects of the deal in detail, told the opposition that it cannot be done. The offensive from INC came after she told parliament that the information is “classified”. He then took to social media site Twitter to post a mocking quiz: “Q. Why did the Defense Minister change her stance from: I will reveal the price of the Rafale planes in November 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018? A. Corruption; B. To protect Modiji; C. To protect Modiji’s friend; D. All of above #TheGreatRafaleMystery.
Sonia Gandhi while addressing Congress MPs said, “What do we make of the Central government making to fictitious arguments to justify the secret about the price of Rafale.
Meanwhile, Arun Jaitley accused the opposition of putting the national security in jeopardy with its immature demands for disclosure of financial details in the Rafael deal. He further claimed that, since Congress had no corruption charges against the NDA-led government, Rahul Gandhi was desperately trying to creating a crisis like the situation with reference to the fighter jet deal. He charged back saying that his party was involved in corruption when in government and it has been stigmatized. He said that now the party has a new tact, that is to manufacture an allegation of corruption against NDA itself.”
According to a report, confidentiality clause in the government-to-government deal meant both the countries, neither France nor India can release these details unless ordered by an international court in case of a disagreement between the two involved parties. The report further mentioned that similar clauses had existed in all the deals signed by the previous Congress government also.
The Indian national Congress alleged irregularities in the deal in which total 36 Rafale fighters were brought from France. The deal was sealed in September 2016 during Narendra Modi’s visit to France. What is important that under the deal, India had to pay three times more than what it would have paid under a deal negotiated by the Congress government back in 2012.
