Rafale deal: Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi must clarify stand on Hollande's remarks on Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence
Former French president Francois Hollande was quoted as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal.
- Sep 22, 2018,
- Updated Sep 22, 2018 5:50 PM IST
A day after the statement by former French President Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal raised a storm in New Delhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi opened fire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a press conference on Saturday, Gandhi said that Hollande's statement clearly indicates that there was corruption in the Rafale deal and asked PM Modi to clear his stand on the comment
Former French president Francois Hollande was quoted as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal, and the French government had no say in the matter. Hollande was in power when the Rafale deal was signed between India and France.
"It is a question of the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister. It is a question of the future of our soldiers, the future of our Air Force. What I am surprised is that the Prime Minister is completely silent. Not one word has come out of the Prime Minister's mouth about this (Hollande's) comment," Gandhi said while addressing the press meet.
Gandhi strongly suggested that PM Modi should clarify his stand as to whether there is any truth in Hollande's comment."It is very important for the prime minister now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or state that Mr. Hollande is lying and tell what the truth is," he said.
We are absolutely convinced that the Prime Minister of India is corrupt, he added.
He also claimed that various defence ministers of the NDA government have been lying to protect Modi. "Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she will disclose the prices of Rafale jets. But then she reneged on grounds that the prices are secret. French President Macron has said that the Indian government can disclose the price to whoever it wants," Gandhi said.
The opposition party has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.
"Anil Ambani has never built an aircraft in his life. He floated his company few days before the deal, yet, the deal was taken away from HAL and given to Anil Ambani, who has a Rs 45,000 crore debt," Gandhi said.
Gandhi reiterated his demand of forming a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Rafale deal, and went on to suggest that Hollande can also be called. "This matter should be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Commentary. The truth will come out," he said.
In retaliation, the ruling BJP condemned as "shameful and irresponsible" remarks by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi against PM Modi over the Rafale deal, saying no president of any party has ever used such language against a prime minister.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at Gandhi's allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal. He said Reliance and Dassault had entered into agreement as early as 2012 when UPA was in power. He also ruled out a joint parliamentary committee probe saying it cannot be done to satisfy the ego of an "ill-informed leader".
Prasad accused Gandhi of "playing into the hands of Pakistan and China" by seeking the details of the Rafale fighter jets. He also alleged that there was pressure for extraneous considerations and "bribe" for not finalising the Rafale deal during the UPA rule despite holding negotiations for years.
Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French president Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
Edited by Vivek Punj with PTI inputs
A day after the statement by former French President Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal raised a storm in New Delhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi opened fire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a press conference on Saturday, Gandhi said that Hollande's statement clearly indicates that there was corruption in the Rafale deal and asked PM Modi to clear his stand on the comment
Former French president Francois Hollande was quoted as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal, and the French government had no say in the matter. Hollande was in power when the Rafale deal was signed between India and France.
"It is a question of the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister. It is a question of the future of our soldiers, the future of our Air Force. What I am surprised is that the Prime Minister is completely silent. Not one word has come out of the Prime Minister's mouth about this (Hollande's) comment," Gandhi said while addressing the press meet.
Gandhi strongly suggested that PM Modi should clarify his stand as to whether there is any truth in Hollande's comment."It is very important for the prime minister now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or state that Mr. Hollande is lying and tell what the truth is," he said.
We are absolutely convinced that the Prime Minister of India is corrupt, he added.
He also claimed that various defence ministers of the NDA government have been lying to protect Modi. "Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she will disclose the prices of Rafale jets. But then she reneged on grounds that the prices are secret. French President Macron has said that the Indian government can disclose the price to whoever it wants," Gandhi said.
The opposition party has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.
"Anil Ambani has never built an aircraft in his life. He floated his company few days before the deal, yet, the deal was taken away from HAL and given to Anil Ambani, who has a Rs 45,000 crore debt," Gandhi said.
Gandhi reiterated his demand of forming a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Rafale deal, and went on to suggest that Hollande can also be called. "This matter should be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Commentary. The truth will come out," he said.
In retaliation, the ruling BJP condemned as "shameful and irresponsible" remarks by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi against PM Modi over the Rafale deal, saying no president of any party has ever used such language against a prime minister.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at Gandhi's allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal. He said Reliance and Dassault had entered into agreement as early as 2012 when UPA was in power. He also ruled out a joint parliamentary committee probe saying it cannot be done to satisfy the ego of an "ill-informed leader".
Prasad accused Gandhi of "playing into the hands of Pakistan and China" by seeking the details of the Rafale fighter jets. He also alleged that there was pressure for extraneous considerations and "bribe" for not finalising the Rafale deal during the UPA rule despite holding negotiations for years.
Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French president Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
Edited by Vivek Punj with PTI inputs