Prime Minister Narendra Modi owes an explanation to the country on how and why he alone took the decision to revisit the Rafale deal without the mandatory clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs and without the knowledge of the Defence Minister.
Moreover, he is silent when the Opposition is demanding answers on the price hike by ₹ 41,000 crore, reduction in the jets from 126 to 36, denying the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to be part of the deal and keeping the concerned officials in the dark, said Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Adding to that the media has been suppressed not to report or discuss about it and creating an undeclared emergency and dictatorship in the country, Mr. Azad said at a press conference here on Wednesday. He said the PM doesn’t answer in Parliament when the question is raised and the Defence Minister, Law Minister and Finance Minister, who are not even involved give different versions.
“Defence purchase decisions are taken by the Cabinet Committee and not individuals whereas the PM goes to France and announces that a new deal is stuck without even scrapping the deal done by the UPA government. He is compromising the security of the country and questioning the nationalism of those who question it,” he said.
Terming the Rafale deal of the NDA as the biggest scam, Mr. Azad said when the UPA entered into the deal for 126 jets of which 18 were to be given in the ready-to-fly condition while 108 were to be manufactured in India by the HAL in association with the French company. In fact, HAL also entered into the agreement with Dassault Aviation. While HAL manufactured 4,060 aeroplanes in the last 70 years, PM has favoured a private company of an Indian businessman that was floated few days before the deal was struck.
The Jet’s price was ₹ 526 crore as per the UPA Government agreement but is increased to ₹ 1670 crore by Mr. Modi and even the number has come down by 90 Jets when the threat perception from Pakistan and China have increased. The additional ₹ 41,000 crores being paid to the French company and this is people’s money. But the Prime Minister prefers to be silent even in Parliament where he is supposed to speak.
When questioned on why Congress is unable to reach the common man on the issue, Mr. Azad said media doesn’t write it or show it under pressure from the BJP government. “As a LoP when I speak on such important issue no TV shows it while the Ministers’ five-minute replies on the same issue is covered widely. Those who report against the scams are losing their jobs,” he alleged.
