Centre refutes Congress’ charges on Rafale deal
The Narendra Modi government on Thursday rejected the Congress’s allegations that laid down procedures were not followed in the Rafale fighter jet deal, and a bureaucrat who had flagged the benchmark price of the deal was sent on forced leave.
At a press conference, Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy said then joint secretary and acquisition manager (Air) in the defence ministry Rajeev Verma had raised questions about the benchmark price of the Rafale fighter jet. Reddy, and also Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in a tweet, cited a media report.
Official sources dismissed reports as well as allegations by Congress leaders. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the official was a signatory to the final note on the agreement presented to the Cabinet for approval in August 2016. “The note that was presented to the Cabinet had the signature of the official. At the time of discussions, there may be divergent views which are recorded. But at the end, decision is taken collectively,” Sitharaman told a news channel.
Official sources said Verma proceeded in September 2016 for a one-week training programme - and not on leave as
NIRMALA SITHARAMAN Defence minister
“mischievously” alleged in the report. Verma also told a news channel that he had visited Cambridge University for the training programme, which had been planned much in advance.
Congress leader Reddy said Verma raised objections about the price of jets and put his objections on record, which caused delays in the preparation of the Cabinet note on the deal. According to the report, the official was part of the Contract Negotiations
At the time of discussions, there may be divergent views which are recorded. But at the end, decision is taken collectively” S JAIPAL REDDY Former Union minister It is for the first time that the present French President Macron, while answering a specific question, avoided the question”
Committee (CNC) for the deal, and the signing of the Cabinet note happened only after his objections were “overruled” by another senior official in the ministry. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the official who overruled Verma’s objections was subsequently rewarded by being made a member of the Union Public Service Commission.
Reddy said the Prime Minister had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French president François Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. The deal was sealed on September 23, 2016. He said it was the first instance of a deal being ratified by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) after being signed. Government sources said the Defence Acquisition Council had accepted the necessity for the acquisition of aircraft and mandated the CNC to go ahead. Following the stipulated process, the CCS approved the acquisition on August 24, 2016, and not in September 2016 - as erroneously claimed in the media report, official sources said.
“It is for the first time that the present French President Macron while answering a specific question avoided the question. He simply said I was not incharge at that time. In other words, he did not contradict the version of former French president Hollande,” Reddy said.
“The point we would like to highlight is this consistent non-contradiction by the current French authorities which is absolutely tantamount to confirmation on the facts mentioned by the former president,” Reddy said. “The non-contraction by the current president of France is equivalent to an international revelation,” he said.