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The ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress accused each other of protecting the corrupt and the middlemen involved in the Rafale deal. The allegations were based on a report in a French media house that an arms dealer allegedly received millions of dollars for mediating between the Government of India and Dassault Aviation.
The Congress reiterated its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the deal. Party’s former president Rahul Gandhi asked his party members not to stop raising the issue. “When the truth is with you in every step, then what is there to worry about? My Congress colleagues — keep fighting like this against the corrupt central government. Don’t stop, don’t get tired, don’t be afraid,” Gandhi said on Twitter. Congress spokesman Pawan Khera said the Narendra Modi government is trying to bury the “melting pot” of corruption, kickbacks and collusion in the Rafale deal. He alleged that the French media house’s report revealed the dubious nexus between Modi Government-CBI-ED to bury the Rafale corruption.
“Why has the Modi government and the CBI not acted upon the evidence of commission and corruption for the last 36 months? Why has it been buried? Why did the Modi government remove the CBI Chief in a midnight coup?,” he asked. He demanded a JPC probe into the issue.
‘Why pay more?’
He claimed that the UPA government had negotiated the purchase one Rafale fighter aircraft including transfer of technology for ₹526.10 crore after an international tender.
“Modi government bought the same Rafale fighter aircraft (off the shelf, without any tender) for ₹1,670 crore and without transfer of technology to India. The difference in cost of 36 jets is approximately ₹41,205 crore. Will the Modi Government answer as to why are we paying ₹41,205 crore extra for the same 36 aircrafts without transfer of technology to India? Who made money and how much bribes were paid? How could PM unilaterally buy 36 aircraft ‘off-the-shelf’ when there was a live international tender for 126 aircraft?,” Khera demanded.
‘Bribes during UPA rule’
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed Rahul Gandhi was spreading “canard, disinformation and lies.” Citing the French media’s report he maintained the bribes were paid between 2007 and 2012, during the UPA regime, to sign the deal. Patra added that the middlemen figuring in the media reports was a co-accused in the purchase of VVIP choppers from Agusta Westland too. “This is too much of a coincidence, and too much of a coincidence is always a conspiracy,” Patra said.
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