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Fresh revelations on the Rafale jet fighter deal in The Hindu on Monday invited demands for probe, condemnation and questions from across the political spectrum on the credibility of the CAG report on the deal.
In the Parliament and outside, The Hindu report elicited sharp political comments on the Rafale deal. The CPI(M) Politburo issued a detailed statement citing “shocking new revelations in The Hindu , urging the Supreme Court to suo motu revisit its earlier ruling on the matter.
The daily reported that the Rafale deal involved unprecedented concessions from the Indian government, including dropping of critical provisions for anti-corruption penalties and making payments through an escrow account, days before the inter-governmental agreements was signed between India and France. In a series of tweets, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the Rafale deal is unravelling faster than the government would have thought.
“First, it was the loading of the India Specific Enhancement costs on 36 aircraft instead of 126, giving a bonanza to Dassault. Then it was the revelation that ‘parallel negotiations’ were being carried on by the PMO, undermining the efforts of the Indian negotiating team. Now, it is revealed that crucial changes were made to the clauses in the standard defence procurement procedure. No sovereign guarantee, no bank guarantee, no escrow account, yet a huge amount was paid as advance. No penalty clause for undue influence, no clause against agency commission, no clause for access to suppliers’ accounts and Dassault goes laughing all the way to the bank,” tweeted Chidambaram.
BSP President Mayawati said PM Modi, who likes to be known as “ chowkidar (gatekeeper),” has compromised “honesty, national interest and national security.”
In a statement, the CPI(M) Politburo said The Hindu ’s expose shows how the “loot of the Indian exchequer was facilitated” for the sake of “the Prime Minister’s crony capitalist friend.”
“Clearly, the Supreme Court had not been furnished with the full information regarding this deal given by the Modi government. In this background, it may be in order for the Supreme Court to suo moto revisit its earlier ruling,” it added.
“The CAG, who is supposed to present a report on Rafale deal, suffers from a conflict of interest as he was the Finance Secretary when this deal was inked. The credibility of a CAG report is hence severely compromised,” the CPI(M) Politburo statement said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi kept up his attack on the PM, saying he “opened the door” to allow Anil Ambani to “steal” ₹30,000 crore from the Air Force. “NoMo anti-corruption clause. The Chowkidar himself opened the door to allow Anil Ambani to steal 30,000 Cr. from the IAF,” Gandhi tweeted, tagging The Hindu report.
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