Claims, counter-claims fly as war over Rafale deal heats up

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to clear the air over India’s purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France and demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the deal a day after former French president Francois Hollande fuelled controversy by saying Reliance Defence’s choice as an offset partner of Dassault Aviation, (which makes the aircraft) was India’s .

The principal Opposition party has alleged that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government chose Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for an offset deal in the $8.7-billion purchase initiated in 2016.

The ministry of defence said on Saturday that “unnecessary controversy” was being created by the opposition parties.

“The government has stated earlier and again reiterates that it had no role in the selection of Reliance Defence as the Offset partner,” it said, explaining that offset partners are chosen by the supplier and that neither France nor India, in this case, had a role to play. “As per Defence Offset Guidelines, the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is free to select any Indian company as its offset partner,” the ministry said.

A report in a French investigative website on Friday quoted the former French president as saying that the Indian government proposed the name of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group as Dassault Aviation’s offset partner.