PC trains guns on NDA govt day after ED grilling

A day after facing the Enforcement Directorate’s ( ED) marathon questioning in Aircel- Maxis deal senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday turned the heat on the BJP- led NDA government over the Rafale aircraft deal. Accusing the Central government of “bypassing” the defence procurement procedure and several committees, he sought an- swers to a volley of questions including three- time hike in each aircraft’s cost.

“What was the procedure followed to enter into this agreement? There is a defence procurement procedure, which was completely bypassed. There is a contract negotiation committee, which never met over this deal. There is a price negotiation committee, which was never called to meet over it. And above all there is a Cabinet committee on security, which has to approve any defence purchase of the size,” Mr Chidambaram said at a press meet at Bidhan Bhavan, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress headquarters.

The former Union finance minister said, “We are not buying nuts and bolts. We are buying fighter aircraft. This has to go to the Cabinet committee on security. None of these committees were involved. None of the ministers knew about it. The defence minister did not know about it. The finance minister did not know about it. The external affairs minister did not know about it.” His attack on the BJP in West Bengal coincides the plan of a Rafale squadron to be based in Hasimara.

He elaborated, “While the UPA contract price per aircraft was ` 526 crore, the NDA contract price is ` 1,670 crore. If these numbers are correct, will someone explain why the price has gone up three times? The answer is this is a secret agreement, and we cannot reveal the price. I am revealing the price now. What is the secret about it? It is there in Dassault report... the annual report of the company that 7.5 billion Euros which works out to ` 1,670 crore for each aircraft.”

Expressing his wonder, Mr Chidambaram asked, “But why is the price jumping three times? Why was the defence procurement procedure ignored?”