‘PM must answer on Rafale’
QUESTIONS Rahul asks Modi to clarify if govt altered fighter deal; defence ministry rubbishes claims NEW DELHI:
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated his allegation that “something wrong” has happened in the Rafale jet deal but a defence ministry spokesperson maintained that revealing the pact details will impact the country’s military preparedness and compromise national security.
However, the spokesperson insisted that the deal secured by the Narendra Modi government with France was better in terms of capability and price than that notionally negotiated by the UPA in 10 years.
Minutes after PM Narendra Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi accused him of “protecting” those behind alleged corruption in the Rafale deal.
“We had three clear questions — you changed the contract in Paris, did you ask the Cabinet Committee on security, and what price have you paid for the aircraft,” he asked the PM. “Please answer whether you changed the deal yourself. Whether you paid more or less and whether you took permission that you were to take. It is simple. But answers are not coming,” he added.
Gandhi also claimed that it was for the first time that a defence minister refused to disclose the details. “This is the biggest deal for the backbone of the Air Force, but defence minister says we will not tell the country as it is a secret, under a deal struck in Paris,” he said.
The Congress has repeatedly alleged that Modi compromised the national security and national interest by signing the fresh Rafale deal. The Congressled UPA government had signed a deal with Dassault Aviation in 2012 for the purchase of 126 Rafale aircraft, but the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance claimed that it was not a viable pact and structured to fail. The NDA in 2016 bought 36 Rafale fighters in a G2G (government to government) deal. The principal opposition party also claimed that the new deal meant each fighter would cost ₹1,570 crore as against ₹526 crore under the older agreement.
However, the ministry spokesperson termed as “unfounded” the allegations regarding the 2016 Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to procure 36 Rafale aircraft in fly-away condition from France.
“This would normally not have merited a response but for the serious damage being caused by the misleading statements, sought to be repeatedly perpetrated on a serious matter of national security,” the spokesperson said.
“The demand that the government disclose details and value of the contract for the Rafale aircraft in 2016 is unrealistic. In keeping with confidentiality requirements, the UPA government had also expressed its inability to disclose the price of various defence procurements, including in its responses to Parliament questions,” the ministry said.
“Provision of exact item-wise cost and other information will reveal, inter alia, details regarding the various customisations and weapons systems specially designed to augment the effectiveness and lethality of the assets, impact our military preparedness and compromise our national security,” it added.
The spokesperson said such details would also come under the ambit of the security agreement signed in 2008. “Thus, in not revealing the item-wise details of the contract, the government is merely following in letter and spirit the confidentiality provisions of a bilateral India-France agreement of 2008 signed by the previous government.”
The spokesperson claimed that the deal secured by the Modi government was better in terms of “capability, price, equipment, delivery, maintenance, training, etc., than that notionally negotiated” by the UPA in a process it could not conclude in 10 years. “Moreover, the present government completed these negotiations in just about one year.”
Media reports had suggested that while Qatar had bought the Rafale aircraft, including infra, training and weapons, at 262.5 million euros, Egypt and India had both sealed the deal at 216.7 million euros.
Similarly, these reports pointed out that the price escalation of 300% happened during the UPA rule. While 126 aircraft cost $10.4 billion in January 2012, the price escalated to $15 billion in April 2013 and in January 2014 rose to $28-$30 billion.
The ministry also reiterated that agreement was strictly in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure in all aspects such as mandating, conducting and monitoring of negotiations and seeking all necessary approvals, including that of the Cabinet Committee on Security, before entering into the pact. The aircraft had already been evaluated successfully by the IAF during 2009-10.
The Congress also claimed the NDA government dropped a key provision in the 2012 agreement, which mandated the transfer of technology to a reputable public sector undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. One of the reasons for the delay in the 2012 deal was that Dassault was not keen on transferring technology to an Indian company that wasn’t its partner, the party said and linked the NDA’s deal with Dassault to a subsequent partnership between the French company and the Anil Ambani promoted Reliance Defence Limited.
But the ministry clarified that there was no provision for transfer of technology but only to manufacture under licence. “The government was unable to agree on the terms for even that in its negotiations with the vendor, resulting in the long-drawn exercise under the earlier government ultimately turning futile,” it said
“Further, no Indian Offset Partner for the 2016 deal for 36 Rafale aircraft has been so far selected by the vendor (Dassault Aviation) because as per applicable guidelines, DA is free to select the Indian Offset Partners and provide their details at the time of seeking offset credits, or one year prior to discharge of offset obligation,” the statement said.
CONG TARGETS BJP OVER ‘INTOLERANCE’
The Congress in Rajya Sabha accused the government of being “intolerant and full of arrogance” and painting a “rosy” picture when ground realities only told a story of tall promises and failures.
Participating in a resumed debate on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said even BJP allies like the Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam or the Shiromani Akali Dal also do not seem to agree with the “rosy projections” being painted.
Due to such a ground situation, the BJP is not keen on holding the Lok Sabha bypolls due in UP and J&K, he said, adding that BJP would fall below the majority mark if it loses these by-elections. Patel also claimed that a “feeling of insecurity” was prevailing across the country, whether it is in the social fabric, economic matters, national security, judiciary or independent constitutional institutions. There is no area which has escaped the feeling of insecurity, he said.
“Farmers, labourers and others — all are worried. The BJP will be defeated in 2019,” he said, claiming even the Union Budget has “turned out to be a flop”.