Panaji: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday slammed the Congress for discussing the Rafale deal during the Gujarat elections with lack of seriousness.
“Unluckily we in India deal with aircraft purchases or the fighter purchases like we think of tur dal and moong dal. They are not,” said Mr. Parrikar.
He was speaking at the launch of strategic analyst Nitin Gokhale’s book ‘Securing India the Modi Way’ at the Goa Art and Literature festival 2017 on Saturday evening.
“On watching Congress stalwarts talking about Rafale in the Gujarat elections, I realised that these people don’t know anything about defence. A fighter aircraft is not only an aircraft. Aircraft is probably a smaller part of the total cost. The real cost comes in special equipment,” said ex-Defence Minister Mr. Parrikar.
Mr. Parrikar said that the surgical strikes in Myanmar and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir proved India’s power. “The External Affairs Ministry is the front end, while the Defence is the back end for a successful nation,” he said.
He said he just had a hearty laugh when Digvijaya Singh (of the Congress) said that when the Prime Minister was signing the Rafale deal, the Defence Minister was buying fish.
“He was completely wrong. When the Prime Minister was signing the Rafale deal, one day prior to that we had an extensive meeting with the Air Force and we worked out the solution to come out of the logjam created by UPA Defence Minister Antony, who was called a saint. He had a very strange noting on the file. He said, start discussion, finalise the price, and after everything is finished, please come back to me with all the documentary evidence how Dassault or the Rafale is the lowest,” said Mr. Parrikar.
