Sena backs Oppn demand for JPC, slams Centre on Michel

NEW DELHI : The Shiv Sena, an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, backed the Opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale jet deal, saying the government should not have a problem if it is “honest”. The party also said Rafale won’t be erased from public memory by putting the spotlight on the Agustawestland deal.

The demand was made by Arvind Sawant, who participated in the debate on the Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha along with members of Trinamool Congress (TMC), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Communist Party of India-marxist (CPI-M) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).THE House held a debate on the Rafale jet deal in the Lok Sabha on its first meeting on the New Year. The Congress had already got Speaker’s approval on such a debate.

Separately, in its mouthpiece Saamna, the Shiv Sena, which has been critical of the BJP of late, said citizens will not forget about issue defence just because the current government was raking the Agustawestland case.

“It seems that various problems like rising prices, unemployment, demonetisation, construction of Ram temple will also be relegated to background to make way for Michel issue,” said an editorial in Saamna. “It is an attempt to browbeat Sonia and Rahul Gandhi before the 2019 polls,” it added.

Michel, a 54-year-old British national extradited from Dubai , is one of the alleged middlemen investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation over charges of organising bribes for politicians and bureaucrats to push for the Rs 3,600-crore Agustawestland chopper deal in the previous UPA regime, which cancelled the contract in 2014.

CAG REPORT UNLIKELY BEFORE MARCH

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) –the government’s auditors – on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France is unlikely to be ready before March 2019.

The Opposition, especially the Congress, has raised questions about the purchase and has targeted the Prime Minister.

The purchase of Rafale fighters is, however, one of the acquisitions examined by the CAG. Apart from the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters, the CAG has examined several other air acquisitions as well, saod officials requesting anonymity.

“We are ready with the answers to the queries raised by the Cag...the process of consultation is unlikely to be completed immediately,” said a senior defence ministry official requesting anonymity. In case, the report is ready by March 2019, the Parliamentaryaccounts Committee (PAC) may not have enough time to examine it.

The House will meet in February next.