Hollande’s remarks stir fresh Rafale tug of war
NEW DELHI: A report in a French media outlet quoting former President Francois Hollande as saying that the Indian government proposed the name of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group as Dassault Aviation’s offset partner intensified the storm surrounding the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal on Friday. The defence ministry said neither the Indian nor the French government were involved in the commercial decision.
“We had no say in this regard. The Indian government proposed this service group (Reliance Defence), and Dassault Aviation negotiated with (Anil) Ambani. We did not have a choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us,” French website Mediapart quoted Hollande as saying.
Hollande’s comments contradict the government’s long-held position that it had nothing to do with Rafale-maker Dassault Aviation selecting Reliance Defence as one of the companies that would implement its offset obligations in the Rafale deal. This has also been Ambani’s position on the matter.
Within hours of the French website publishing the story, a defence ministry spokesperson tweeted: “The report referring to fmr French president Mr. Hollande’s statement that GOI insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being veri- fied. It is reiterated that neither GOI nor French Govt had any say in the commercial decision.”
Reliance Defence and the French embassy in New Delhi declined comment on the matter.
The report comes at a time when the Congress has accused the government of favouritism and misleading the nation on the Rafale deal.
“The PM personally negotiated & changed the #Rafale deal behind closed doors. Thanks to François Hollande, we now know he personally delivered a deal worth billions of dollars to a bankrupt Anil Ambani,” Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Friday.
“The PM has betrayed India. He has dishonoured the blood of our soldiers,” he added.
In the Mediapart report, Hollande also denied any link between the Rafale deal and a film involving his partner Julie Gayet.
A REPORT ON A FRENCH WEBSITE QUOTES FRANCOIS HOLLANDE AS SAYING THE INDIAN GOVT PROPOSED THE NAME OF ANIL AMBANI’S RELIANCE GROUP