NCP leader Supriya Sule on Friday said party chief Sharad Pawar`s comment on the Prime Minister and the Rafale deal have been misunderstood as he has actually demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into it.

Sule's remarks came soon after party General Secretary Tariq Anwar quit the party and the Lok Sabha expressing his disagreement with Pawar who gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale deal.

In a series of tweets, Sule said it was "disappointing" that the issues raised by Pawar in an interview to a Marathi channel regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal were ignored.

"It`s disappointing that people have not heard Pawar ... where he has clearly raised three questions: 1) what is the justification for a 300 per cent price increase from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,670 crore which potentially could be a significant loss to the exchequer?," said Sule, a Lok Sabha member and a daughter of Pawar.

"2) If such doubts have been raised and the government is so confident, then why are they shying from setting up a JPC? 3) When the BJP raised both price and specification issues during the Bofors allegations, then why are they hiding behind the artificial justification of secrecy of agreements vis-a-vis both commercial price and offset agreements."

Reacting to Pawar`s interview in which he had said he did not think people doubt Modi`s intentions on a personal level, Anwar told media: "The Prime Minister is fully involved in the Rafale deal.

"I have resigned from the NCP as well as the membership of Lok Sabha because I totally disagree with Sharad Pawar`s statement in support of Modi on Rafale deal," said the 67-year-old who was expelled from the Congress in 1999 along with Pawar and P.A. Sangma after they questioned the foreign origins of Sonia Gandhi.

NCP leader Supriya Sule on Friday said party chief Sharad Pawar`s comment on the Prime Minister and the Rafale deal have been misunderstood as he has actually demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into it.

NCP leader Supriya Sule on Friday said party chief Sharad Pawar`s comment on the Prime Minister and the Rafale deal have been misunderstood as he has actually demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into it. Sule's remarks came soon after party General Secretary Tariq Anwar quit the party and the Lok Sabha expressing his disagreement with Pawar who gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale deal. In a series of tweets, Sule said it was "disappointing" that the issues raised by Pawar in an interview to a Marathi channel regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal were ignored. "It`s disappointing that people have not heard Pawar ... where he has clearly raised three questions: 1) what is the justification for a 300 per cent price increase from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,670 crore which potentially could be a significant loss to the exchequer?," said Sule, a Lok Sabha member and a daughter of Pawar. "2) If such doubts have been raised and the government is so confident, then why are they shying from setting up a JPC? 3) When the BJP raised both price and specification issues during the Bofors allegations, then why are they hiding behind the artificial justification of secrecy of agreements vis-a-vis both commercial price and offset agreements." Reacting to Pawar`s interview in which he had said he did not think people doubt Modi`s intentions on a personal level, Anwar told media: "The Prime Minister is fully involved in the Rafale deal. "I have resigned from the NCP as well as the membership of Lok Sabha because I totally disagree with Sharad Pawar`s statement in support of Modi on Rafale deal," said the 67-year-old who was expelled from the Congress in 1999 along with Pawar and P.A. Sangma after they questioned the foreign origins of Sonia Gandhi.

Supriya Sule says Pawar has been misunderstood on Rafale remarks 

At a time the opposition led by the Congress is mounting attacks on the government over the Rafale fighter jet issue, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said people "do not have doubts" over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intentions.&nbsp;

In an interview to a Marathi news channel, former Defence Minister Pawar also said the opposition's demand to share technical details relating to the fighter jet "made no sense".&nbsp;

He, however, said there was no harm for the government to disclose prices of the aircraft.

"I don't think people have doubts about Modi's intentions personally," Pawar told the news channel.

He, however, said the way Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the government's side led to confusion in the minds of people.

"Now, (Union Finance Minister Arun) Jaitley can be seen articulating (government's stand) on the issue (instead of Sitharaman)," he added.&nbsp;

The Congress has launched an offensive against the BJP government over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and violation of rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It has accused the government of causing loss to the public exchequer and endangering national security by bypassing state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in favour of some businessman "friends" for offset contract.

At a time the opposition led by the Congress is mounting attacks on the government over the Rafale fighter jet issue, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said people "do not have doubts" over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intentions.

At a time the opposition led by the Congress is mounting attacks on the government over the Rafale fighter jet issue, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said people "do not have doubts" over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intentions. In an interview to a Marathi news channel, former Defence Minister Pawar also said the opposition's demand to share technical details relating to the fighter jet "made no sense". He, however, said there was no harm for the government to disclose prices of the aircraft. "I don't think people have doubts about Modi's intentions personally," Pawar told the news channel. He, however, said the way Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the government's side led to confusion in the minds of people. "Now, (Union Finance Minister Arun) Jaitley can be seen articulating (government's stand) on the issue (instead of Sitharaman)," he added. The Congress has launched an offensive against the BJP government over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and violation of rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has accused the government of causing loss to the public exchequer and endangering national security by bypassing state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in favour of some businessman "friends" for offset contract.

People don't have doubts over PM Modi's intentions over Rafale deal: Sharad Pawar

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday hit out at the Modi government for reportedly targeting a Defence Ministry official who allegedly raised "objections" over the price of the Rafale jets.

He took to Twitter to take a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a poem in Hindi alleging that he gave benefits to "crony capitalists" at the cost of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the Rafale deal.

Gandhi also alleged that the officer who raised questions over the deal was penalised, while those who sided with the government were rewarded. 
He tagged a media report that alleged that the Defence Ministry official who raised objections over the price of the Rafale jets "proceeded" on a month's leave and the 36-Rafale deal was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council thereafter.

Citing the same media report, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a Tweet, claimed that the Modi government "sent on leave the 'whistleblower'", who questioned the loss to the state exchequer "by paying 300% extra for 36 Rafale".

He also alleged that a senior officer, who overruled the official who raised questions over the Rafale jets pricing, was made a member of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission).&nbsp;

"Perks of pleasing Modi Govt cover corruption tracks," he claimed.

The Congress has been stepping up its attack on the government with the Rafale deal controversy taking a new turn last week after Francois Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" in selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance Defence as offset partner for the French aerospace giant.

Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
मोदी-अंबानी का देखो खेल 
HAL से छीन लिया राफेल 
धन्नासेठों की कैसी भक्ति 
घटा दिया सेना की शक्ति 
जिस अफसर ने चोरी से रोका 
ठगों के सरदार ने उसको ठोका 
पिट्ठुओं को मिली शाबाशी 
सेठों ने उड़ती चिड़िया फाँसी 
 
जन-जन में फैल रही है सनसनी 
मिलकर रोकेंगे लुटेरों की कंपनी <a href="https://t.co/XJPbpVoAj3">https://t.co/XJPbpVoAj3</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1045228268444667904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday hit out at the Modi government for reportedly targeting a Defence Ministry official who allegedly raised "objections" over the price of the Rafale jets.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday hit out at the Modi government for reportedly targeting a Defence Ministry official who allegedly raised "objections" over the price of the Rafale jets. He took to Twitter to take a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a poem in Hindi alleging that he gave benefits to "crony capitalists" at the cost of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the Rafale deal. Gandhi also alleged that the officer who raised questions over the deal was penalised, while those who sided with the government were rewarded. He tagged a media report that alleged that the Defence Ministry official who raised objections over the price of the Rafale jets "proceeded" on a month's leave and the 36-Rafale deal was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council thereafter. Citing the same media report, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a Tweet, claimed that the Modi government "sent on leave the 'whistleblower'", who questioned the loss to the state exchequer "by paying 300% extra for 36 Rafale". He also alleged that a senior officer, who overruled the official who raised questions over the Rafale jets pricing, was made a member of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). "Perks of pleasing Modi Govt cover corruption tracks," he claimed. The Congress has been stepping up its attack on the government with the Rafale deal controversy taking a new turn last week after Francois Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" in selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance Defence as offset partner for the French aerospace giant. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. मोदी-अंबानी का देखो खेल HAL से छीन लिया राफेल धन्नासेठों की कैसी भक्ति घटा दिया सेना की शक्ति जिस अफसर ने चोरी से रोका ठगों के सरदार ने उसको ठोका पिट्ठुओं को मिली शाबाशी सेठों ने उड़ती चिड़िया फाँसी जन-जन में फैल रही है सनसनी मिलकर रोकेंगे लुटेरों की कंपनी https://t.co/XJPbpVoAj3 — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 27, 2018 ×

Rahul says Modi targeted official who raised objections on Rafale deal

Senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy Thursday alleged French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict Francois Hollande's claim on Rafale deal which was tantamount to the confirmation of his predecessor's claim, reported news agency PTI.

Modi is getting caught or sandwiched between international revelations and internal disclosures, he said.

Noting that the "Rafale scam has begin to stink and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has begin to sink", Reddy said India has had a very good relationship with France and "when a former French president says something, this country needs to sit up and take notice".

Reddy&nbsp;alleged Anil Ambani's company was taken as an offset partner because of the pressure from Government of India and it was so intense that the French authorities were left with no choice, the report further said.

"It is for the first time that the present French president Macron while answering a specific question avoided the question. He simply said I was not in charge at that time. In other words, he did not contradict the version of former French president Hollande," he claimed.

"The point we would like to highlight is this consistent non-contradiction by the current French authorities which is absolutely tantamount to confirmation on the facts mentioned by the former president," he added.

"The non-contraction by the current president of France is equivalent to an international revelation," Reddy was quoted as saying.

Reddy said Modi owed an explanation to the nation about the statement made by the former president of France on Ambani's company.

Senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy Thursday alleged French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict Francois Hollande's claim on Rafale deal which was tantamount to the confirmation of his predecessor's claim, reported news agency PTI.

Senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy Thursday alleged French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict Francois Hollande's claim on Rafale deal which was tantamount to the confirmation of his predecessor's claim, reported news agency PTI. Modi is getting caught or sandwiched between international revelations and internal disclosures, he said. Noting that the "Rafale scam has begin to stink and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has begin to sink", Reddy said India has had a very good relationship with France and "when a former French president says something, this country needs to sit up and take notice". Reddy alleged Anil Ambani's company was taken as an offset partner because of the pressure from Government of India and it was so intense that the French authorities were left with no choice, the report further said. "It is for the first time that the present French president Macron while answering a specific question avoided the question. He simply said I was not in charge at that time. In other words, he did not contradict the version of former French president Hollande," he claimed. "The point we would like to highlight is this consistent non-contradiction by the current French authorities which is absolutely tantamount to confirmation on the facts mentioned by the former president," he added. "The non-contraction by the current president of France is equivalent to an international revelation," Reddy was quoted as saying. Reddy said Modi owed an explanation to the nation about the statement made by the former president of France on Ambani's company.

Macron did not contradict Hollande's claim on Rafale: Jaipal Reddy

Whether it accepts it or not, the furore over the Rafale fighter jet with France's Dassault has become a problem, a big one, for the BJP-led NDA government. 
 
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has declared it to be a "perception problem" and in what seems like an eerie coincidence, the name of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, has cropped up as "one who failed to get a cut" and therefore an interested party in the deal in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dubiously bringing in Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as Dassault's partner.

In this war of mostly noisy and pointless TV news show debates, it has become fashionable to throw cow dung in return for bull droppings. But we must learn to look beyond these to ask some hard questions:

&nbsp;1. Why was the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) sidestepped by its sole shareholder, the government of India, all of a sudden?&nbsp;

&nbsp;2.&nbsp; Since Anil Ambani publicly announced an Rs 30,000-crore revenue opportunity from the Dassault "offset" partnership, is there not a need to ask how his company there got in the first place without any bidding involved?

&nbsp;3. Why would a former president of a G-20 country, Francois Hollande, say the Indian government played a role in Dassault's choice of partner?

4. If Dassault added features to its fighters while cutting down the number of jets in the deal to 36 from 126, and it was indeed because of a secrecy clause linked to sweetheart features for India's added security, does that not set a secrecy precedent for any defence deal where any future government can escape the scrutiny of auditors, Parliament or media by citing a secrecy clause? How does that weigh in with a culture of transparency to cut corruption?

I would look for best practices to guide us in these matters. When the government is itself in the dock, it is best to look at global practices to arrive at an idea of fair play because the rule-makers cannot be judged on the basis of their own rules when they are themselves the purchasers.

In 2012, the European Court of Justice in a landmark ruling "significantly restricted the ability of EU governments to use sole-source or negotiated procedures with selected suppliers for purchases of defence and security equipment."

The ECJ ruled that procurement agencies "must" use competitive tendering procedures unless the supplies have been specially designed or modified for military use and the procurement involved an "essential national security interest."

Now, the NDA government is citing both modifications of supplies and essential national security interest among the reasons for the less-than-transparent Rafale deal, but it is pertinent to ask if a government in a democracy that runs under institutional supervision can be its own judge.

The fact of the matter is that "offset" deals forming part of defence purchases to aid local suppliers are a regular part of defence contracts. If the main purchase is an apple, the offset part is an orange. But the key point to note is that both the apple of the fighter jet and the orange of the offset components are paid for by the same taxpayer. If you follow the money, the government of India has both the right and the duty to determine the offset partner. A public purchase cannot be subject to the same rules as a private purchase.

Therefore, a statement by the government made last week that it had no role in Dassault's choice of partner is in itself questionable. In coal linkages for power plants, the NDA government reversed the UPA's policies and set the tone for auctions. In the case of 2G spectrum, the Supreme Court supervised auctions even before the NDA came to power.

Should not the logic that was applied to 2G spectrum and coal applied to defence offsets as well? The Reliance Defence contract falls into the "sole source" category ECJ mentions above and goes against the principle of transparency.&nbsp;

No wonder the Congress has been talking of either a parliamentary probe into the Rafale deal or a Comptroller and Auditor General report.

The Supreme Court is looking into a public interest litigation that is due for hearing on October 10. Don't expect a miracle there, but I do anticipate the honourable judges to ask some sharp questions on transparency -- enough to give the Congress ammunition in an election year. If national interest is monitored solely by a political leadership in power and kept outside other institutions, it does raise hard questions.

However, the fact is that Congress is not overly confident of getting Supreme Court support. A senior Congress source told me it was not keen on the PIL track as it did not "want to lose the narrative." Between the Congress party's 'narrative' and the BJP's 'perception problem' true insights may yet come from the CAG and/or the Supreme Court.

(This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the <a href="http://zeenews.india.com/blogs/not-just-a-perception-problem-rafale-deal-could-set-a-bad-precedent-2143942.html">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Whether it accepts it or not, the furore over the Rafale fighter jet with France's Dassault has become a problem, a big one, for the BJP-led NDA government. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has declared it to be a "perception problem" and in what seems like an eerie coincidence, the name of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, has cropped up as "one who failed to get a cut" and therefore an interested party in the deal in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dubiously bringing in Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as Dassault's partner.

Whether it accepts it or not, the furore over the Rafale fighter jet with France's Dassault has become a problem, a big one, for the BJP-led NDA government. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has declared it to be a "perception problem" and in what seems like an eerie coincidence, the name of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, has cropped up as "one who failed to get a cut" and therefore an interested party in the deal in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dubiously bringing in Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as Dassault's partner. In this war of mostly noisy and pointless TV news show debates, it has become fashionable to throw cow dung in return for bull droppings. But we must learn to look beyond these to ask some hard questions: 1. Why was the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) sidestepped by its sole shareholder, the government of India, all of a sudden? 2. Since Anil Ambani publicly announced an Rs 30,000-crore revenue opportunity from the Dassault "offset" partnership, is there not a need to ask how his company there got in the first place without any bidding involved? 3. Why would a former president of a G-20 country, Francois Hollande, say the Indian government played a role in Dassault's choice of partner? 4. If Dassault added features to its fighters while cutting down the number of jets in the deal to 36 from 126, and it was indeed because of a secrecy clause linked to sweetheart features for India's added security, does that not set a secrecy precedent for any defence deal where any future government can escape the scrutiny of auditors, Parliament or media by citing a secrecy clause? How does that weigh in with a culture of transparency to cut corruption? I would look for best practices to guide us in these matters. When the government is itself in the dock, it is best to look at global practices to arrive at an idea of fair play because the rule-makers cannot be judged on the basis of their own rules when they are themselves the purchasers. In 2012, the European Court of Justice in a landmark ruling "significantly restricted the ability of EU governments to use sole-source or negotiated procedures with selected suppliers for purchases of defence and security equipment." The ECJ ruled that procurement agencies "must" use competitive tendering procedures unless the supplies have been specially designed or modified for military use and the procurement involved an "essential national security interest." Now, the NDA government is citing both modifications of supplies and essential national security interest among the reasons for the less-than-transparent Rafale deal, but it is pertinent to ask if a government in a democracy that runs under institutional supervision can be its own judge. The fact of the matter is that "offset" deals forming part of defence purchases to aid local suppliers are a regular part of defence contracts. If the main purchase is an apple, the offset part is an orange. But the key point to note is that both the apple of the fighter jet and the orange of the offset components are paid for by the same taxpayer. If you follow the money, the government of India has both the right and the duty to determine the offset partner. A public purchase cannot be subject to the same rules as a private purchase. Therefore, a statement by the government made last week that it had no role in Dassault's choice of partner is in itself questionable. In coal linkages for power plants, the NDA government reversed the UPA's policies and set the tone for auctions. In the case of 2G spectrum, the Supreme Court supervised auctions even before the NDA came to power. Should not the logic that was applied to 2G spectrum and coal applied to defence offsets as well? The Reliance Defence contract falls into the "sole source" category ECJ mentions above and goes against the principle of transparency. No wonder the Congress has been talking of either a parliamentary probe into the Rafale deal or a Comptroller and Auditor General report. The Supreme Court is looking into a public interest litigation that is due for hearing on October 10. Don't expect a miracle there, but I do anticipate the honourable judges to ask some sharp questions on transparency -- enough to give the Congress ammunition in an election year. If national interest is monitored solely by a political leadership in power and kept outside other institutions, it does raise hard questions. However, the fact is that Congress is not overly confident of getting Supreme Court support. A senior Congress source told me it was not keen on the PIL track as it did not "want to lose the narrative." Between the Congress party's 'narrative' and the BJP's 'perception problem' true insights may yet come from the CAG and/or the Supreme Court. (This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Rafale deal could set a bad precedent

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra Wednesday broke his silence on the charges of corruption levelled against him by the BJP and said the ruling party had been indulging in a "baseless political witch-hunt" against him for the last four years.&nbsp;

''BJP rakes up my name every time they are cornered whether its falling rupee, soaring oil prices or this latest number when they have been totally exposed selling out nation on Rafale,'' Vadra was quoted as saying.&nbsp;

BJP should tell nation truth about Rafale deal rather than hide behind 'bunch of lies' that people are fed up of hearing, he reportedly told ANI. &nbsp;

Accusing BJP of indulging in a baseless political witch-hunt against him for last 4 years, Vadra said having all the agencies under their beck and call....no one knows better than the present government and the BJP that they have indulged in a baseless political witch hunt against me for the last 4 years.

The BJP dragged the Gandhi family into the intensifying political row over the fighter aircraft deal, with Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat alleging that the U<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-scrapped-rafale-deal-vadras-firm-wasnt-made-middleman-bjp-167508">PA government had called off the multi-billion dollar deal</a> after a private company linked to Vadra was not chosen as a broker.&nbsp;

The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Francois Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant.

Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.&nbsp;

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra Wednesday broke his silence on the charges of corruption levelled against him by the BJP and said the ruling party had been indulging in a "baseless political witch-hunt" against him for the last four years.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra Wednesday broke his silence on the charges of corruption levelled against him by the BJP and said the ruling party had been indulging in a "baseless political witch-hunt" against him for the last four years. ''BJP rakes up my name every time they are cornered whether its falling rupee, soaring oil prices or this latest number when they have been totally exposed selling out nation on Rafale,'' Vadra was quoted as saying. BJP should tell nation truth about Rafale deal rather than hide behind 'bunch of lies' that people are fed up of hearing, he reportedly told ANI. Accusing BJP of indulging in a baseless political witch-hunt against him for last 4 years, Vadra said having all the agencies under their beck and call....no one knows better than the present government and the BJP that they have indulged in a baseless political witch hunt against me for the last 4 years. The BJP dragged the Gandhi family into the intensifying political row over the fighter aircraft deal, with Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat alleging that the UPA government had called off the multi-billion dollar deal after a private company linked to Vadra was not chosen as a broker. The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Francois Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.

BJP indulging in political witch hunt against me for 4 years: Robert Vadra 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed that the Congress party scrapped the Rafale deal with France as United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra's company was not accepted as a 'middleman'.

Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, while addressing a press conference, said that in order to take revenge for the same, the Congress is working hard to jeopardise the deal finalised by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

"The Congress intended to make arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Robert Vadra's company as a middleman in the Rafale deal. But when this did not happen, they scrapped the deal and now they are trying to take revenge for the same by jeopardising the deal finalised by the NDA," the BJP leader said.

Shekhawat further alleged that the Congress is politicising the Rafale deal and is taking help of foreign forces to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power.

The Rs. 58,000 crore controversial deal was signed by the NDA government in 2016 after scrapping negotiations made by the UPA government earlier.

The UPA's original plan was to buy 18 off-the-shelf jets from France's Dassault Aviation, with 108 others being assembled in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru.

The controversy over the Rafale jet intensified after former French president François Hollande, in an interview to a French media house, claimed that the France government had no other option but to choose Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Dassault Aviation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed that the Congress party scrapped the Rafale deal with France as United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra's company was not accepted as a 'middleman'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed that the Congress party scrapped the Rafale deal with France as United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra's company was not accepted as a 'middleman'. Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, while addressing a press conference, said that in order to take revenge for the same, the Congress is working hard to jeopardise the deal finalised by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. "The Congress intended to make arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Robert Vadra's company as a middleman in the Rafale deal. But when this did not happen, they scrapped the deal and now they are trying to take revenge for the same by jeopardising the deal finalised by the NDA," the BJP leader said. Shekhawat further alleged that the Congress is politicising the Rafale deal and is taking help of foreign forces to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power. The Rs. 58,000 crore controversial deal was signed by the NDA government in 2016 after scrapping negotiations made by the UPA government earlier. The UPA's original plan was to buy 18 off-the-shelf jets from France's Dassault Aviation, with 108 others being assembled in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru. The controversy over the Rafale jet intensified after former French president François Hollande, in an interview to a French media house, claimed that the France government had no other option but to choose Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Dassault Aviation.

Congress scrapped Rafale deal as Vadra's firm wasn't made middleman: BJP 

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said Tuesday he had sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal.

In the notice, the AAP leader demanded that the Rafale deal be scrapped and Dassault Reliance Aerospace be barred from handling or manufacturing Rafale fighter jets. He also sought a probe by a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team (SIT).

"My client (Singh) is constrained to issue this legal notice in the subject matter (Rafale Deal) due to your covert actions and deeds with regard to the pricing and induction of strategic partner of a company with zero credentials much to the detriment to the security of the nation," the notice, sent to Sitharaman by Singh's lawyers, read.

He threatened to approach the court if the defence minister failed to heed to his demands in the next three days. A legal notice is a precursor to a case being filed in a court. 
Commenting on the issue, Singh said, "The Rafale deal involves a 'mahaghotala' (mega scam) of Rs 36,000 crore. When I raised the issue in the Parliament, along with other UPA MPs, Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre gave contradictory replies."

"Our allegations have been proved by French former president (Francois) Hollande's statement. I also asked the government why the 78-year-old HAL was denied manufacturing of the planes, while a 12-day-old Reliance company was given (the contract). No reply has been given by the government," Singh told reporters.

The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Hollande, who was the French president when the Rs 58,000-crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" on the selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government had proposed the name of Reliance as the offset partner for the aerospace giant.

Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.&nbsp;

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said Tuesday he had sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said Tuesday he had sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal. In the notice, the AAP leader demanded that the Rafale deal be scrapped and Dassault Reliance Aerospace be barred from handling or manufacturing Rafale fighter jets. He also sought a probe by a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team (SIT). "My client (Singh) is constrained to issue this legal notice in the subject matter (Rafale Deal) due to your covert actions and deeds with regard to the pricing and induction of strategic partner of a company with zero credentials much to the detriment to the security of the nation," the notice, sent to Sitharaman by Singh's lawyers, read. He threatened to approach the court if the defence minister failed to heed to his demands in the next three days. A legal notice is a precursor to a case being filed in a court. Commenting on the issue, Singh said, "The Rafale deal involves a 'mahaghotala' (mega scam) of Rs 36,000 crore. When I raised the issue in the Parliament, along with other UPA MPs, Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre gave contradictory replies." "Our allegations have been proved by French former president (Francois) Hollande's statement. I also asked the government why the 78-year-old HAL was denied manufacturing of the planes, while a 12-day-old Reliance company was given (the contract). No reply has been given by the government," Singh told reporters. The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Hollande, who was the French president when the Rs 58,000-crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given "no choice" on the selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government had proposed the name of Reliance as the offset partner for the aerospace giant. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.

AAP leader sends legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over Rafale deal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition of indulging in mud-slinging at it finds it easier than debating on issues.&nbsp;

''Opposition indulging in mud-slinging because it finds it easier than debating on issues like development,'' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in an apparent reference to allegations on Rafale deal.&nbsp;

Speaking at a rally in Bhopal, &nbsp;Modi also targetted the grand alliance.&nbsp;

'Maha gatbandhan' (grand alliance) has been formed due to&nbsp;fear of losing elections, Modi said and added Congress not ready to introspect why it has been reduced to 44 seats in Lok Sabha because of its arrogance, Modi said.&nbsp;

Vote-bank politics has caused immense damage to the country in 70 years after Independence. Even in the Islamic nations across the world, Triple Talaq is not accepted. But here due to vote-bank politics, the party that is led by a woman is not worried about my Muslim sisters who are victims of Triple Talaq, he said&nbsp;and added ''Our government believes in social justice''.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Such is the condition of the more than 100 years old party that they are seeking certificates of much smaller parties. Had they done some introspection in the last four years then such a situation would not have arisen : PM Narendra Modi addressing party workers in Bhopal <a href="https://t.co/XWvIaLW4UV">pic.twitter.com/XWvIaLW4UV</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1044520261448544257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition of indulging in mud-slinging at it finds it easier than debating on issues. ''Opposition indulging in mud-slinging because it finds it easier than debating on issues like development,'' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in an apparent reference to allegations on Rafale deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Opposition of indulging in mud-slinging at it finds it easier than debating on issues. ''Opposition indulging in mud-slinging because it finds it easier than debating on issues like development,'' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in an apparent reference to allegations on Rafale deal. Speaking at a rally in Bhopal, Modi also targetted the grand alliance. 'Maha gatbandhan' (grand alliance) has been formed due to fear of losing elections, Modi said and added Congress not ready to introspect why it has been reduced to 44 seats in Lok Sabha because of its arrogance, Modi said. Vote-bank politics has caused immense damage to the country in 70 years after Independence. Even in the Islamic nations across the world, Triple Talaq is not accepted. But here due to vote-bank politics, the party that is led by a woman is not worried about my Muslim sisters who are victims of Triple Talaq, he said and added ''Our government believes in social justice''. Such is the condition of the more than 100 years old party that they are seeking certificates of much smaller parties. Had they done some introspection in the last four years then such a situation would not have arisen : PM Narendra Modi addressing party workers in Bhopal pic.twitter.com/XWvIaLW4UV — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2018 ×

Opposition indulging in mud-slinging as it's easier: PM Modi 

The Congress Tuesday rejected BJP's claim that Rahul Gandhi wanted the Rafale deal scrapped to help a firm linked to his brother-in-law Robert Vadra and said the Modi government was responding to the alleged "scam" with abuses and mud-slinging.

On Monday, the BJP alleged that the Congress president was involved in a "conspiracy, internationally" and former French president Francois Hollande was part of the "nexus" to sabotage the Rafale deal.

Responding to the claims, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Congress government gave the contract to state-run firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave it to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence.

"The tender was issued in 2007 August, and on December 12, 2012, it was opened...And in March 13, 2014, the Congress government gave the offset contract to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited," Surjewala told reporters.

He cited the statements made by Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier and former HAL chairperson T S Raju.

Hitting out at Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Modi government, Surjewala said they were responding to the Rafale "scam" with abuses and mud-slinging.

"The country has heard the tale of Ali Baba aur Chaalis Chor, now it is asking that when will Modi Baba and Chaalis Chor answer," Surjewala said in a word play on the folk tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves".

"Are you Ambani's PM, or the country's prime minister?" he asked.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat had dragged the Gandhi family into the intensifying political row over the fighter aircraft deal, alleging that the UPA government had called off the multi-billion dollar deal after a private company linked to Vadra was not chosen as a broker.

The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart on Friday that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant.

Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.&nbsp;

The Congress Tuesday rejected BJP's claim that Rahul Gandhi wanted the Rafale deal scrapped to help a firm linked to his brother-in-law Robert Vadra and said the Modi government was responding to the alleged "scam" with abuses and mud-slinging.

The Congress Tuesday rejected BJP's claim that Rahul Gandhi wanted the Rafale deal scrapped to help a firm linked to his brother-in-law Robert Vadra and said the Modi government was responding to the alleged "scam" with abuses and mud-slinging. On Monday, the BJP alleged that the Congress president was involved in a "conspiracy, internationally" and former French president Francois Hollande was part of the "nexus" to sabotage the Rafale deal. Responding to the claims, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Congress government gave the contract to state-run firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave it to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence. "The tender was issued in 2007 August, and on December 12, 2012, it was opened...And in March 13, 2014, the Congress government gave the offset contract to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited," Surjewala told reporters. He cited the statements made by Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier and former HAL chairperson T S Raju. Hitting out at Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Modi government, Surjewala said they were responding to the Rafale "scam" with abuses and mud-slinging. "The country has heard the tale of Ali Baba aur Chaalis Chor, now it is asking that when will Modi Baba and Chaalis Chor answer," Surjewala said in a word play on the folk tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". "Are you Ambani's PM, or the country's prime minister?" he asked. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat had dragged the Gandhi family into the intensifying political row over the fighter aircraft deal, alleging that the UPA government had called off the multi-billion dollar deal after a private company linked to Vadra was not chosen as a broker. The Rafale controversy took a new turn last week after Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart on Friday that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.

BJP responding to Rafale 'scam' with abuses, mud-slinging: Congress

Confirming India's stand on the offsets agreement between Dassault Aviation and Reliance Group, the former, in a statement, reiterated that Reliance Group was chosen in compliance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 regulations.

It further clarified that although the Rafale deal was a contract between the Indian and the French governments, it provided for a separate contract in which Dassault Aviation committed to making compensation investments (offsets) in India equivalent to 50 per cent of the value of the purchase.

"This offsets contract is delivered in compliance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 regulations. In this framework, and in accordance with the policy of Make in India, Dassault Aviation has decided to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group. This is Dassault Aviation's choice, as CEO Eric Trappier had explained in an interview published in MINT newspaper on April 17, 2018. This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint-venture in February 2017," the company stated.

"Dassault Aviation and Reliance have built a plant in Nagpur for manufacturing parts for Falcon and Rafale aircraft. The Nagpur site was chosen because of the availability of land with direct access to an airport runway, an essential condition of aeronautic activities," it added.

The French aviation company also said that contracts were signed with companies other than Reliance as well, as part of the offsets contract under the Rafale deal.

"Other partnerships have been signed with other companies such as BTSL, DEFSYS, Kinetic, Mahindra, Maini, SAMTEL,. Other negotiations are ongoing with hundred-odd other potential partners," the firm divulged.

The statement by Dassault Aviation comes shortly after former French president, François Hollande, claimed that Dassault Aviation was given no choice but to partner with Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence for the offset clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

The Centre, led by Prime Minister Modi, scrapped the UPA's plan in 2015 and announced that it would buy 36 "ready-to-fly" Rafale jets instead of seeking a technology transfer from France's Dassault Aviation and making the aircraft in India.

Confirming India's stand on the offsets agreement between Dassault Aviation and Reliance Group, the former, in a statement, reiterated that Reliance Group was chosen in compliance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 regulations.

Confirming India's stand on the offsets agreement between Dassault Aviation and Reliance Group, the former, in a statement, reiterated that Reliance Group was chosen in compliance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 regulations. It further clarified that although the Rafale deal was a contract between the Indian and the French governments, it provided for a separate contract in which Dassault Aviation committed to making compensation investments (offsets) in India equivalent to 50 per cent of the value of the purchase. "This offsets contract is delivered in compliance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 regulations. In this framework, and in accordance with the policy of Make in India, Dassault Aviation has decided to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group. This is Dassault Aviation's choice, as CEO Eric Trappier had explained in an interview published in MINT newspaper on April 17, 2018. This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint-venture in February 2017," the company stated. "Dassault Aviation and Reliance have built a plant in Nagpur for manufacturing parts for Falcon and Rafale aircraft. The Nagpur site was chosen because of the availability of land with direct access to an airport runway, an essential condition of aeronautic activities," it added. The French aviation company also said that contracts were signed with companies other than Reliance as well, as part of the offsets contract under the Rafale deal. "Other partnerships have been signed with other companies such as BTSL, DEFSYS, Kinetic, Mahindra, Maini, SAMTEL,. Other negotiations are ongoing with hundred-odd other potential partners," the firm divulged. The statement by Dassault Aviation comes shortly after former French president, François Hollande, claimed that Dassault Aviation was given no choice but to partner with Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence for the offset clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal. The Centre, led by Prime Minister Modi, scrapped the UPA's plan in 2015 and announced that it would buy 36 "ready-to-fly" Rafale jets instead of seeking a technology transfer from France's Dassault Aviation and making the aircraft in India.

Deal with Reliance was Dassault Aviation's choice: Report

The French government Friday said it was in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners for the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that French companies have the full freedom to select Indian firms for the contract.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-french-president-hollande-says-indian-government-proposed-anil-ambanis-reliance">statement by the French government</a> came following a French media report which quoted former French President Francois Hollande as saying that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal and France did not have a choice.

“The French government is in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners who have been, are being, or will be selected by French companies,” it said.

The report in ‘Mediapart’, a French-language publication, quoted Hollande as saying, “It was the Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us.”

Asked who selected Reliance as a partner and why, Hollande replied, “We had no say in this regard.”

Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, had chosen Reliance Defence as its partner to fulfil offset obligations of the deal. The government has been maintaining it did not have any role in the selection of the offset partner by Dassault.

In a statement, Dassault Aviation said it has decided to make a partnership with the Reliance Defence in accordance with the policy of ‘Make in India’.

“This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint-venture in February 2017. Dassault Aviation and Reliance have built a plant in Nagpur for manufacturing parts for Falcon and Rafale aircraft,” the company said.

The French government said, “In accordance with India’s acquisition procedure, French companies have the full freedom to choose the Indian partner companies that they consider to be the most relevant, then present for the Indian government’s approval the offsets projects that they wish to execute in India with these local partners so as to fulfil their obligations in this regard.”

The Congress has been accusing massive irregularities in the deal, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating procurement of 126 Rafale jets.

The Congress has also alleged that the government was benefitting Reliance Defence through the deal as the company has set up a joint venture with Dassault Aviation to execute the offset obligation for the deal.

The opposition parties have also alleged that the Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of the Rafale deal by the prime minister on 10 April 2015. The Reliance group has rejected the charges.

The French government said the inter-governmental agreement it signed with India for supplying 36 Rafale aircraft concerns its obligations solely with regard to ensuring the delivery and quality of the aircraft.

“As it happens, agreements have already been signed by French companies with many Indian firms, both public and private, under the framework of Indian laws,” the statement said.

The Congress has also been demanding answers from the government on why <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rafale-deal-differences-between-hal-dassault-led-collapse-talks-say-report-166907">state-run aerospace major HAL</a> was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA.

Under India’s offset policy, foreign defence entities are mandated to spend at least 30 per cent of the total contract value in India through procurement of components or setting up of research and development facilities.

Ten days after India sealed the government-to-government agreement on the Rafale deal, Reliance Defence and Dassault had announced a joint venture (JV) in the aerospace sector and a year later, the foundation stone of a manufacturing facility was laid in Mihan, Nagpur.

The French government Friday said it was in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners for the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that French companies have the full freedom to select Indian firms for the contract.

The French government Friday said it was in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners for the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that French companies have the full freedom to select Indian firms for the contract. The statement by the French government came following a French media report which quoted former French President Francois Hollande as saying that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal and France did not have a choice. “The French government is in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners who have been, are being, or will be selected by French companies,” it said. The report in ‘Mediapart’, a French-language publication, quoted Hollande as saying, “It was the Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us.” Asked who selected Reliance as a partner and why, Hollande replied, “We had no say in this regard.” Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, had chosen Reliance Defence as its partner to fulfil offset obligations of the deal. The government has been maintaining it did not have any role in the selection of the offset partner by Dassault. In a statement, Dassault Aviation said it has decided to make a partnership with the Reliance Defence in accordance with the policy of ‘Make in India’. “This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint-venture in February 2017. Dassault Aviation and Reliance have built a plant in Nagpur for manufacturing parts for Falcon and Rafale aircraft,” the company said. The French government said, “In accordance with India’s acquisition procedure, French companies have the full freedom to choose the Indian partner companies that they consider to be the most relevant, then present for the Indian government’s approval the offsets projects that they wish to execute in India with these local partners so as to fulfil their obligations in this regard.” The Congress has been accusing massive irregularities in the deal, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating procurement of 126 Rafale jets. The Congress has also alleged that the government was benefitting Reliance Defence through the deal as the company has set up a joint venture with Dassault Aviation to execute the offset obligation for the deal. The opposition parties have also alleged that the Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of the Rafale deal by the prime minister on 10 April 2015. The Reliance group has rejected the charges. The French government said the inter-governmental agreement it signed with India for supplying 36 Rafale aircraft concerns its obligations solely with regard to ensuring the delivery and quality of the aircraft. “As it happens, agreements have already been signed by French companies with many Indian firms, both public and private, under the framework of Indian laws,” the statement said. The Congress has also been demanding answers from the government on why state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA. Under India’s offset policy, foreign defence entities are mandated to spend at least 30 per cent of the total contract value in India through procurement of components or setting up of research and development facilities. Ten days after India sealed the government-to-government agreement on the Rafale deal, Reliance Defence and Dassault had announced a joint venture (JV) in the aerospace sector and a year later, the foundation stone of a manufacturing facility was laid in Mihan, Nagpur.

After Hollande’s remarks, French govt says not involved in choosing Indian partners in Rafale deal

Disagreements between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aviation led to the collapse of negotiations between the two in the Rafale fighter plane deal during the UPA term.

According to Defence sources, HAL in a letter to Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2012 mentioned the differences with Dassault pertaining to work share.

In July 2014, HAL in a subsequent letter to MoD also highlighted one major unresolved issue regarding responsibility sharing between Dassault and HAL for license manufacture of aircraft. Besides, the man hours required for the manufacture of various components of the aircraft in HAL was also a point of disagreement between the two.

"Due to all these reasons the proposals for 126 MMRCA could not progress further," sources said. 
 
According to a media report, T. Suvarna Raju, former chairman and managaing director (CMD), claimed that Dassault and HAL had signed the mutual workshare contract and given it to the government. He further said that the life-cycle costs of the aircraft would have been cheaper if the aircraft were made in India.

Responding to this, sources said that since the workshare between Dassault and HAL was never agreed upon, reports claiming the lower life-cycle cost of the planes, was completely "presumptive" and termed the media report based on HAL ex-CMD statement as "factually incorrect".

The opposition parties have been blaming NDA Government for not taking on board HAL in the Rafale deal and questioned Dassault's tie-up with Reliance Group under the off-set clause.&nbsp;

Disagreements between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aviation led to the collapse of negotiations between the two in the Rafale fighter plane deal during the UPA term.

Disagreements between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aviation led to the collapse of negotiations between the two in the Rafale fighter plane deal during the UPA term. According to Defence sources, HAL in a letter to Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2012 mentioned the differences with Dassault pertaining to work share. In July 2014, HAL in a subsequent letter to MoD also highlighted one major unresolved issue regarding responsibility sharing between Dassault and HAL for license manufacture of aircraft. Besides, the man hours required for the manufacture of various components of the aircraft in HAL was also a point of disagreement between the two. "Due to all these reasons the proposals for 126 MMRCA could not progress further," sources said. According to a media report, T. Suvarna Raju, former chairman and managaing director (CMD), claimed that Dassault and HAL had signed the mutual workshare contract and given it to the government. He further said that the life-cycle costs of the aircraft would have been cheaper if the aircraft were made in India. Responding to this, sources said that since the workshare between Dassault and HAL was never agreed upon, reports claiming the lower life-cycle cost of the planes, was completely "presumptive" and termed the media report based on HAL ex-CMD statement as "factually incorrect". The opposition parties have been blaming NDA Government for not taking on board HAL in the Rafale deal and questioned Dassault's tie-up with Reliance Group under the off-set clause.

Rafale deal: Differences between HAL, Dassault led to collapse of talks, say report

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today asserted that there was absolutely "no scandal" in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and allegations of wrongdoings relating to it were politically motivated.

Without naming the Congress, Sitharaman said, "false comparisons" were made between the price at which India was procuring the jets and the price being negotiated by some other countries.

"I am assuring you in the company of all the senior officials that yes there is no scandal in Rafale. We are very clear about that," she said replying to a question on allegations of scam in the Rafale deal.

She was addressing a press conference along with top officials of the defence ministry on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the NDA government.&nbsp

"Absolutely," she said when asked whether she can assure that not even a single rupee has been made in the Rafale deal.

She called the allegations very clear case of "motivated attacks".

Sitharaman also said that there has been no allegations of corruption against any officials of the defence ministry in the last four years.

India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one-and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris.&nbsp

The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019.

The Congress had raised several questions about the deal including the rates and accused the government of compromising national interest and security while causing a loss to the public exchequer.

The Congress has been demanding details of the deal including cost of equipment and weapons, alleging that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government

The government has been refusing to give an item-wise cost and other details about the deal in Parliament citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact.

The UPA government had negotiated a USD 10.2 billion deal for the 126 jets. However, the deal could not be finalised.&nbsp

Without naming the Congress, Sitharaman said, "false comparisons" were made between the price at which India was procuring the jets and the price being negotiated by some other countries

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today asserted that there was absolutely "no scandal" in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and allegations of wrongdoings relating to it were politically motivated. Without naming the Congress, Sitharaman said, "false comparisons" were made between the price at which India was procuring the jets and the price being negotiated by some other countries. "I am assuring you in the company of all the senior officials that yes there is no scandal in Rafale. We are very clear about that," she said replying to a question on allegations of scam in the Rafale deal. She was addressing a press conference along with top officials of the defence ministry on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the NDA government. "Absolutely," she said when asked whether she can assure that not even a single rupee has been made in the Rafale deal. She called the allegations very clear case of "motivated attacks". Sitharaman also said that there has been no allegations of corruption against any officials of the defence ministry in the last four years. India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one-and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris. The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019. The Congress had raised several questions about the deal including the rates and accused the government of compromising national interest and security while causing a loss to the public exchequer. The Congress has been demanding details of the deal including cost of equipment and weapons, alleging that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government The government has been refusing to give an item-wise cost and other details about the deal in Parliament citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact. The UPA government had negotiated a USD 10.2 billion deal for the 126 jets. However, the deal could not be finalised.

No scandal in Rafale deal: Defence Minister Sitharaman

Congress president Rahul<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/manohar-parrikar-was-buying-fish-when-pm-modi-changed-rafale-contract-rahul-gandhi-34150"> Gandhi today hit out at&nbsp;that the UPA</a> had negotiated the deal for &quot;526 crores per plane&quot; but the Modi government paid 1,670 crores.

This is not the first time <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-gave-rafale-contract-to-his-friend-rahul-gandhi-32416">the Congress president has </a>taken a swipe at the Modi government over the Rafale deal. He had earlier taken a dig at defence minister&nbsp;Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue and had asked her to &quot;come clean&quot;.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The UPA negotiates the RAFALE down to 526 Cr. per plane. But Modi ji pays 1,670 Cr. instead. Loss to exchequer, over 40,000 Cr. 
 
RM&#39;s response? 
We paid &quot;our&quot; price. 
Who cares about &quot;their&quot; price? 
 
Answer: The PEOPLE care <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RafaleScam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RafaleScam</a>
&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/975673350365294592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Rahul Gandhi in his tweet alleged that the Modi government&#39;s negotiations after the NDA took up the deal led to a loss of 40,000 crore.

The Congress president then cryptically noted: RM&#39;s response? We paid &quot;our&quot; price. Who cares about &quot;their&quot; price?

Answer: The people care

This is not the first time the Congress president has taken a swipe at the Modi government over the Rafale deal.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today hit out at that the UPA had negotiated the deal for "526 crores per plane" but the Modi government paid 1,670 crores. This is not the first time the Congress president has taken a swipe at the Modi government over the Rafale deal. He had earlier taken a dig at defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue and had asked her to "come clean". The UPA negotiates the RAFALE down to 526 Cr. per plane. But Modi ji pays 1,670 Cr. instead. Loss to exchequer, over 40,000 Cr. RM's response? We paid "our" price. Who cares about "their" price? Answer: The PEOPLE care #RafaleScam — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 19, 2018 × Rahul Gandhi in his tweet alleged that the Modi government's negotiations after the NDA took up the deal led to a loss of 40,000 crore. The Congress president then cryptically noted: RM's response? We paid "our" price. Who cares about "their" price? Answer: The people care

Loss to exchequer on Rafale deal over 40,000 crore, tweets Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal.&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi's tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean.

The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone.

The party used the annual report of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale fighter jets, to claim that the deal inked by Prime Minister Modi caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the national exchequer.&nbsp;

According to the report, Dassault sold 36 Rafale jets to India at £7.5 billion in 2016, while 48 jets were sold to Qatar and Egypt at £7.9 billion in 2015. This amounted to Rs 1,670.7 crore per aircraft for India and Rs 1,319.8 crore to Qatar and Egypt.

The Congress also stressed that the current government's purchase price was much higher than the Rs 526 crore bid by the UPA regime.

Rahul Gandhi's tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal. Rahul Gandhi's tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean. The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone. The party used the annual report of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale fighter jets, to claim that the deal inked by Prime Minister Modi caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the national exchequer. According to the report, Dassault sold 36 Rafale jets to India at £7.5 billion in 2016, while 48 jets were sold to Qatar and Egypt at £7.9 billion in 2015. This amounted to Rs 1,670.7 crore per aircraft for India and Rs 1,319.8 crore to Qatar and Egypt. The Congress also stressed that the current government's purchase price was much higher than the Rs 526 crore bid by the UPA regime.

Rafale deal: Dassault called government's lie, says Rahul Gandhi

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-irrfan-khan-has-been-diagnosed-with-a-neuroendocrine-tumour-leaves-the-country-for-treatment-36036">Irrfan Khan diagnosed with </a>neuroendocrine tumour, leaves country for treatment

Actor Irrfan Khan issued a fresh statement on Friday afternoon revealing that he has been diagnosed with a NeuroEndocrine tumour and he would be flying out of the country for treatment. In an official statement posted on Twitter, the actor revealed that dealing with the diseases has been difficult and he is thankful to those who gave him strength and love.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-see-sharpest-fall-in-over-1-month-36050">Sensex, Nifty </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-see-sharpest-fall-in-over-1-month-36050">see</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-see-sharpest-fall-in-over-1-month-36050"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-see-sharpest-fall-in-over-1-month-36050">sharpest</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sensex-nifty-see-sharpest-fall-in-over-1-month-36050"> fall in over 1 month</a>

Indian shares fell 1.5 percent on Friday, the sharpest in more than a month, with financial and energy stocks leading the decline. The benchmark BSE Sensex declined 1.51 percent to 33,176, ending 0.4 percent lower for the week.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/convicted-in-human-trafficking-case-singer-daler-mehndi-granted-bail-36018">Convicted in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/convicted-in-human-trafficking-case-singer-daler-mehndi-granted-bail-36018">human</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/convicted-in-human-trafficking-case-singer-daler-mehndi-granted-bail-36018"> trafficking case, singer Daler Mehndi gets bail</a>

The popular Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi who was convicted by Patiala court on March 16 for human trafficking has now been granted bail. Daler Mehndi informed that he will now appear in high court.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rafale-deal-dassault-called-governments-lie-says-rahul-gandhi-36071">Rafale deal: Dassault called government&#39;s lie, says Rahul Gandhi</a>

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal. Rahul Gandhi&#39;s tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/over-90-indians-are-sleep-deprived-study-36039">Over 90% Indians are sleep deprived: Study</a>

According to a recent study, people who got to bed after 10 pm are sleep deprived, irrespective of the numbers of hours of sleep. Conducted by Godrej Interio, the study revealed that sleeping post 10 pm is clinically declared as an inappropriate time to go to sleep as it triggers a change in the sleeping pattern that leads to sleep deprivation.

Irrfan Khan diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, leaves country for treatment Actor Irrfan Khan issued a fresh statement on Friday afternoon revealing that he has been diagnosed with a NeuroEndocrine tumour and he would be flying out of the country for treatment. In an official statement posted on Twitter, the actor revealed that dealing with the diseases has been difficult and he is thankful to those who gave him strength and love. Sensex, Nifty see sharpest fall in over 1 month Indian shares fell 1.5 percent on Friday, the sharpest in more than a month, with financial and energy stocks leading the decline. The benchmark BSE Sensex declined 1.51 percent to 33,176, ending 0.4 percent lower for the week. Convicted in human trafficking case, singer Daler Mehndi gets bail The popular Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi who was convicted by Patiala court on March 16 for human trafficking has now been granted bail. Daler Mehndi informed that he will now appear in high court. Rafale deal: Dassault called government's lie, says Rahul Gandhi Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal. Rahul Gandhi's tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean. Over 90% Indians are sleep deprived: Study According to a recent study, people who got to bed after 10 pm are sleep deprived, irrespective of the numbers of hours of sleep. Conducted by Godrej Interio, the study revealed that sleeping post 10 pm is clinically declared as an inappropriate time to go to sleep as it triggers a change in the sleeping pattern that leads to sleep deprivation.

WION Evening News Brief, March 16, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Dassault called RM&#39;s lie and released prices paid per RAFALE plane in report: 
 
Qatar = 1319 Cr 
MODI = 1670 Cr 
MMS = 570 Cr 
 
1100 Cr per plane or 36,000 Cr i.e 10 % of our Defence budget, in the pocket. 
 
Meanwhile, our Army begs our Govt. for money. <a href="https://t.co/fE5tj4IaeN">pic.twitter.com/fE5tj4IaeN</a>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/974611317960175616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Rahul Gandhi&#39;s tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean.

The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone.

The party used the annual report of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale fighter jets, to claim that the deal inked by Prime Minister Modi caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the national exchequer.&nbsp;

According to the report, Dassault sold 36 Rafale jets to India at &pound;7.5 billion in 2016, while 48 jets were sold to Qatar and Egypt at &pound;7.9 billion in 2015. This amounted to Rs 1,670.7 crore per aircraft for India and Rs 1,319.8 crore to Qatar and Egypt.

The Congress also stressed that the current government&#39;s purchase price was much higher than the Rs 526 crore bid by the UPA regime.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Modi government over Rafale plane deal. Dassault called RM's lie and released prices paid per RAFALE plane in report: Qatar = 1319 Cr MODI = 1670 Cr MMS = 570 Cr 1100 Cr per plane or 36,000 Cr i.e 10 % of our Defence budget, in the pocket. Meanwhile, our Army begs our Govt. for money. pic.twitter.com/fE5tj4IaeN — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 16, 2018 × Rahul Gandhi's tweet comes days after Congress targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it was turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean. The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone. The party used the annual report of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale fighter jets, to claim that the deal inked by Prime Minister Modi caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the national exchequer. According to the report, Dassault sold 36 Rafale jets to India at £7.5 billion in 2016, while 48 jets were sold to Qatar and Egypt at £7.9 billion in 2015. This amounted to Rs 1,670.7 crore per aircraft for India and Rs 1,319.8 crore to Qatar and Egypt. The Congress also stressed that the current government's purchase price was much higher than the Rs 526 crore bid by the UPA regime.

The Congress party on Saturday again targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it is turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean.

The comments came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Emannuel Macron.

The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone.

&quot;People are asking in whose pockets this money has gone&quot;, he added.&nbsp;

Vadakkan said his party had been raising the issue for the last three days but not a word from the government or the BJP was heard in response. Not even a denial, he said.

The BJP yesterday rejected the Congress&#39; charge, claiming the party was spreading lies and confusion to mislead the nation.&nbsp;

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said it is irresponsible and anti-national to allege corruption in the Euro 7.5 billion deal with France to supply the fighter jets.

&quot;Where is the corruption? It is irresponsible and anti-national to make such allegations,&quot; he said speaking at a media event.

The Congress, however, again raised the issue today and likened the government&#39;s stand to a cat drinking milk with its eyes shut in the belief that nobody will watch it.

&quot;The government, the defence ministry must come clean. What are they trying to hide?. You called the UPA corrupt. If this is not corruption then what is. It is turning out to be a mother scam on which the NDA must come clean,&quot; he said.

"People are asking in whose pockets this money has gone", Congress asked.

The Congress party on Saturday again targeted the NDA government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it is turning out to be a mother scam, and asked the government to come clean. The comments came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Emannuel Macron. The grand-old-party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said the over price India had paid to France for the purchase of the fighter aircraft compared to other countries including Egypt and Qatar was not some charity and the Modi government should answer as to where the money had gone. "People are asking in whose pockets this money has gone", he added. Vadakkan said his party had been raising the issue for the last three days but not a word from the government or the BJP was heard in response. Not even a denial, he said. The BJP yesterday rejected the Congress' charge, claiming the party was spreading lies and confusion to mislead the nation. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said it is irresponsible and anti-national to allege corruption in the Euro 7.5 billion deal with France to supply the fighter jets. "Where is the corruption? It is irresponsible and anti-national to make such allegations," he said speaking at a media event. The Congress, however, again raised the issue today and likened the government's stand to a cat drinking milk with its eyes shut in the belief that nobody will watch it. "The government, the defence ministry must come clean. What are they trying to hide?. You called the UPA corrupt. If this is not corruption then what is. It is turning out to be a mother scam on which the NDA must come clean," he said.

Modi government should come clean on Rafale deal: Congress

Dismissing allegations of corruption in the contract for 36 Rafale jets, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman today asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the fighter aircraft.

&quot;Do not even compare it (Rafale deal) with Bofors. There is no scam here,&quot; Sitharaman told reporters when asked whether Rafale deal will go the Bofors way.

Sitharaman said she would welcome if the Congress raises the issue of procurement of Rafale jets when the budget session of the Parliament reconvenes from Monday.

&quot;I will welcome it (if Congress raises it),&quot; she said.

The Congress has been ramping up attack on the government over the Rafale issue, claiming that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.

Official sources claimed the original deal to procure 126 fighter jet could not go through during the UPA rule despite reaching the final stage due to an intervention by the then defence minister A K Antony as he felt something wrong in the process.

They said the government selected Rafale for procurement of the 36 fighter jets not because of the price arrived at during the UPA tenure but due to the &quot;overarching&quot; assessment of the jet.

There were allegations that payoffs were made in the procurement of the artillery guns from Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors in the late 1980s during the then Congress government. The allegations and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army&#39;s procurement of artillery guns.

Alleging corruption, the Congress has been asking the government whether the per aircraft price of Rafale, according to international bids opened on December 12, 2012, comes to $80.95 million (Rs 526.1 crore) as against the

Modi government&#39;s per aircraft negotiated price of&nbsp; $241.66 Million (Rs 1,570.8 crore) as per current exchange rates.

The UPA government floated a tender in 2007 for the purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for the Air Force and, post negotiations, two of them--Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon -- remained in the reckoning.

However, the deal could not be finalised by the UPA regime.

The Congress had also claimed that Qatar had purchased 12 Rafale fighter jets in November 2017 for $108.33 million per aircraft (Rs 694.80 crore), noting that the per aircraft rate at which the Gulf nation is buying the jet is much lower than the rate at which India will procure them.

The government has refused to give details of the price break up of each rafale aircraft, citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact.

In a detailed statement, the defence ministry last month had termed as &quot;unfounded&quot; allegations made by the Congress about the Rafale deal, asserting that the demand to disclose details such as its value was &quot;unrealistic&quot; as doing so might compromise India&#39;s national security.

It had said giving an item-wise cost and other information would reveal details about weapons systems and customisation of the jet.

The ministry had said that in 2012, the then defence minister exercised an unprecedented personal veto on the laid down institutional process then underway for the procurement of the 126 jets.&nbsp;

Sitharaman said she would welcome if the Congress raises the issue of procurement of Rafale jets when the budget session of the Parliament reconvenes from Monday

Dismissing allegations of corruption in the contract for 36 Rafale jets, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman today asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the fighter aircraft. "Do not even compare it (Rafale deal) with Bofors. There is no scam here," Sitharaman told reporters when asked whether Rafale deal will go the Bofors way. Sitharaman said she would welcome if the Congress raises the issue of procurement of Rafale jets when the budget session of the Parliament reconvenes from Monday. "I will welcome it (if Congress raises it)," she said. The Congress has been ramping up attack on the government over the Rafale issue, claiming that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore. Official sources claimed the original deal to procure 126 fighter jet could not go through during the UPA rule despite reaching the final stage due to an intervention by the then defence minister A K Antony as he felt something wrong in the process. They said the government selected Rafale for procurement of the 36 fighter jets not because of the price arrived at during the UPA tenure but due to the "overarching" assessment of the jet. There were allegations that payoffs were made in the procurement of the artillery guns from Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors in the late 1980s during the then Congress government. The allegations and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns. Alleging corruption, the Congress has been asking the government whether the per aircraft price of Rafale, according to international bids opened on December 12, 2012, comes to $80.95 million (Rs 526.1 crore) as against the Modi government's per aircraft negotiated price of $241.66 Million (Rs 1,570.8 crore) as per current exchange rates. The UPA government floated a tender in 2007 for the purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for the Air Force and, post negotiations, two of them--Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon -- remained in the reckoning. However, the deal could not be finalised by the UPA regime. The Congress had also claimed that Qatar had purchased 12 Rafale fighter jets in November 2017 for $108.33 million per aircraft (Rs 694.80 crore), noting that the per aircraft rate at which the Gulf nation is buying the jet is much lower than the rate at which India will procure them. The government has refused to give details of the price break up of each rafale aircraft, citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact. In a detailed statement, the defence ministry last month had termed as "unfounded" allegations made by the Congress about the Rafale deal, asserting that the demand to disclose details such as its value was "unrealistic" as doing so might compromise India's national security. It had said giving an item-wise cost and other information would reveal details about weapons systems and customisation of the jet. The ministry had said that in 2012, the then defence minister exercised an unprecedented personal veto on the laid down institutional process then underway for the procurement of the 126 jets.

No question of Rafale deal going the Bofors way: Nirmala Sitharaman

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka&#39;s Bellary district.

Rahul Gandhi <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-attacks-jaitley-sitaraman-with-facts-over-rafale-deal-32340">again raised the issue of the Rafale jet deal </a>with France and accused PM Modi of changing the contract. He claimed that the contract had earlier been given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited but was given by PM Modi to &quot;his friend.&quot;

&quot;Modi government bought Rafale from a France company. Modi ji went to Paris, changed the contract himself. The Rafale contract was earlier given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He seized the contract from HAL and gave it to his friend,&quot; Rahul Gandhi said.

&quot;We have asked three questions to Modi - Modiji on what basis did you give the contract to your friend after taking it away from HAL, for what reason? Why did you take away the future of its youth from Bangalore? Why did you do this to profit your friend? 
 
&quot;Second question, did the price of the aircraft increase or decrease in your new contract? 
 
&quot;Third question- when you took this decision in Paris and when India&#39;s defence minister was buying fish in Goa- did you take permission from the Cabinet Committee on Security? Yes or no.&quot;

The Rafale contract is held by the Anil Ambani-backed Reliance Group. 
 
Rahul Gandhi also accused PM Modi of failing to discuss the future of the country, employment to the youth or helping farmers and instead focussing on targetting the Congress party in Parliament.

&quot;Narendra Modi didn&#39;t speak about future, or giving employment to youth, or help to farmers in his one-hour long speech in Parliament. He spent one hour talking about Congress party and the past. The country wants to listen about future from the PM,&quot; the Congress president said.

Rahul Gandhi said the prime minister made false promises to the people.

There is nothing to be gained by trusting those who make false promises and show you false dreams. The Congress party does what it says. Narendra Modi&#39;s words are hollow. He does not do what he says,&quot; the Congress president said.

He also said that the relationship between his mother Sonia Gandhi, the party and the people of Karnataka went back in time and that the state&#39;s people had helped her when she needed them.

&quot;The relation between Sonia&nbsp;ji, us and you goes back in time, when she needed it you helped her and accepted her,&quot; the Congress President said.

&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka's Bellary district

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka's Bellary district. Rahul Gandhi again raised the issue of the Rafale jet deal with France and accused PM Modi of changing the contract. He claimed that the contract had earlier been given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited but was given by PM Modi to "his friend." "Modi government bought Rafale from a France company. Modi ji went to Paris, changed the contract himself. The Rafale contract was earlier given to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He seized the contract from HAL and gave it to his friend," Rahul Gandhi said. "We have asked three questions to Modi - Modiji on what basis did you give the contract to your friend after taking it away from HAL, for what reason? Why did you take away the future of its youth from Bangalore? Why did you do this to profit your friend? "Second question, did the price of the aircraft increase or decrease in your new contract? "Third question- when you took this decision in Paris and when India's defence minister was buying fish in Goa- did you take permission from the Cabinet Committee on Security? Yes or no." The Rafale contract is held by the Anil Ambani-backed Reliance Group. Rahul Gandhi also accused PM Modi of failing to discuss the future of the country, employment to the youth or helping farmers and instead focussing on targetting the Congress party in Parliament. "Narendra Modi didn't speak about future, or giving employment to youth, or help to farmers in his one-hour long speech in Parliament. He spent one hour talking about Congress party and the past. The country wants to listen about future from the PM," the Congress president said. Rahul Gandhi said the prime minister made false promises to the people. There is nothing to be gained by trusting those who make false promises and show you false dreams. The Congress party does what it says. Narendra Modi's words are hollow. He does not do what he says," the Congress president said. He also said that the relationship between his mother Sonia Gandhi, the party and the people of Karnataka went back in time and that the state's people had helped her when she needed them. "The relation between Sonia ji, us and you goes back in time, when she needed it you helped her and accepted her," the Congress President said.

PM Modi gave Rafale contract to his friend: Rahul Gandhi

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opposition-leaders-meet-president-demand-independent-probe-into-justice-loyas-death-32341">Opposition leaders meet President, demand independent probe into Justice Loya&#39;s death</a>

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who met President Ram Nath Kovind over the Justice Loya death case today, said that Members of Parliament were uneasy over death of judge Loya and two others and wanted an independent probe into his death. The Opposition leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal of the Congress, filed a petition before the president, asking for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the judge&#39;s death.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-attacks-jaitley-sitaraman-with-facts-over-rafale-deal-32340">Rafale deal: Rahul fires fresh salvo at Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman</a>

Rahul Gandhi is back with yet another file of facts and is pushing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for answers on Rafale jet deal. The Congress president, on Friday, called out Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter and said: &quot;You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost.&quot;&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dont-want-maldives-to-be-another-flashpoint-in-talks-with-india-china-32318">Don&#39;t want </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dont-want-maldives-to-be-another-flashpoint-in-talks-with-india-china-32318">Maldives</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dont-want-maldives-to-be-another-flashpoint-in-talks-with-india-china-32318"> to be another flashpoint in talks with India: China</a>

China today said it is in touch with India to discuss a way to resolve the political turmoil gripping the Maldives and underlined that Beijing doesn&#39;t want the issue to become another &quot;flashpoint&quot;. While China officially continues to maintain that there should not be any external interference specially in the light of reports of India&#39;s special forces ready for deployment, Beijing is also in touch with New Delhi to resolve the crisis, Chinese official sources said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/niti-aayog-releases-health-index-kerala-emerges-on-top-32338">Kerala tops NITI </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/niti-aayog-releases-health-index-kerala-emerges-on-top-32338">Aayog&#39;s</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/niti-aayog-releases-health-index-kerala-emerges-on-top-32338"> Health Index, Uttar Pradesh worst performer</a>

NITI Aayog&#39;s Health Index report has Kerala placed on top followed by Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Uttar Pradesh figures at the bottom of the list as the worst performer. Among larger states, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha joined Uttar Pradesh as states that performed poorly in the health index. Mizoram ranked first among small states followed by Manipur and Goa.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kolkata-teacher-molested-class-2-student-for-6-months-parents-protest-outside-school-32325">Kolkata: Teacher molested class 2 student for 6 months, arrested</a>

The Kolkata police arrested a teacher of a private school on Friday for allegedly molesting a class 2 student for the past six months. Massive protests are being carried out by the parents who gathered outside the school, demanding suspension and punishment for the accused. A police personnel was also hurt during the protest.&nbsp;

Opposition leaders meet President, demand independent probe into Justice Loya's death Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who met President Ram Nath Kovind over the Justice Loya death case today, said that Members of Parliament were uneasy over death of judge Loya and two others and wanted an independent probe into his death. The Opposition leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal of the Congress, filed a petition before the president, asking for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the judge's death. Rafale deal: Rahul fires fresh salvo at Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman Rahul Gandhi is back with yet another file of facts and is pushing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for answers on Rafale jet deal. The Congress president, on Friday, called out Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter and said: "You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost." Don't want Maldives to be another flashpoint in talks with India: China China today said it is in touch with India to discuss a way to resolve the political turmoil gripping the Maldives and underlined that Beijing doesn't want the issue to become another "flashpoint". While China officially continues to maintain that there should not be any external interference specially in the light of reports of India's special forces ready for deployment, Beijing is also in touch with New Delhi to resolve the crisis, Chinese official sources said. Kerala tops NITI Aayog's Health Index, Uttar Pradesh worst performer NITI Aayog's Health Index report has Kerala placed on top followed by Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Uttar Pradesh figures at the bottom of the list as the worst performer. Among larger states, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha joined Uttar Pradesh as states that performed poorly in the health index. Mizoram ranked first among small states followed by Manipur and Goa. Kolkata: Teacher molested class 2 student for 6 months, arrested The Kolkata police arrested a teacher of a private school on Friday for allegedly molesting a class 2 student for the past six months. Massive protests are being carried out by the parents who gathered outside the school, demanding suspension and punishment for the accused. A police personnel was also hurt during the protest.

WION Evening News Brief, February 9, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged a &quot;scam&quot; Tuesday in the Rafael deal, after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refused to disclose details of the deal on Monday.&nbsp;

&quot;For the first time, the defence minister is saying that we will not share details of money spent on buying the aircraft...I spoke during the Gujarat polls that there is a scam (in the Rafale deal). Modi ji has personally got the deal done,&quot; PTI quoted Gandhi as telling reporters outside Parliament.&nbsp;

&quot;Modi ji had personally gone to Paris. Personally the deal was changed. The entire India knows it. And the defence minister is saying she will not inform India, the Indian martyrs and their relatives about the money spent on buying those aircraft. What does this mean? This only means there is some scam,&quot; Gandhi added.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Defence Minister says that we will not reveal the amount paid for buying <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rafael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rafael</a> aircrafts. What does this mean? This only means there is a scam. Modi ji personally went to Paris, he changed the deal. The whole country knows it: Congress President Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/C81lszYE9g">pic.twitter.com/C81lszYE9g</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/960838110404849665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Sitharaman had told Parliament on Monday that the government cannot disclose details of the fighter jet deal because of a secrecy pact between the governments of India and France.&nbsp;

Her response was to a written question in Rajya Sabha by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal, who had asked whether the government did not want to disclose in public domain the agreement between India and France for purchasing the aircraft.&nbsp;

Leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi party had sought disclosure of the amount being paid in the present deal.

The Congress has alleged that the price paid for the jets by the NDA government is higher than that finalised by the UPA in the previous deal.

Sitharaman was also asked whether there was any involvement of a private sector company in the deal, to which she clarified that neither any public sector nor private sector company was included in the agreement.

Sitharaman further added that the deal has been finalised at an amount lower than the earlier deal.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

'The defence minister is saying she will not inform India... What does this mean? This only means there is some scam,' said Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged a "scam" Tuesday in the Rafael deal, after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refused to disclose details of the deal on Monday. "For the first time, the defence minister is saying that we will not share details of money spent on buying the aircraft...I spoke during the Gujarat polls that there is a scam (in the Rafale deal). Modi ji has personally got the deal done," PTI quoted Gandhi as telling reporters outside Parliament. "Modi ji had personally gone to Paris. Personally the deal was changed. The entire India knows it. And the defence minister is saying she will not inform India, the Indian martyrs and their relatives about the money spent on buying those aircraft. What does this mean? This only means there is some scam," Gandhi added. The Defence Minister says that we will not reveal the amount paid for buying #Rafael aircrafts. What does this mean? This only means there is a scam. Modi ji personally went to Paris, he changed the deal. The whole country knows it: Congress President Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/C81lszYE9g — ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2018 × Sitharaman had told Parliament on Monday that the government cannot disclose details of the fighter jet deal because of a secrecy pact between the governments of India and France. Her response was to a written question in Rajya Sabha by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal, who had asked whether the government did not want to disclose in public domain the agreement between India and France for purchasing the aircraft. Leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi party had sought disclosure of the amount being paid in the present deal. The Congress has alleged that the price paid for the jets by the NDA government is higher than that finalised by the UPA in the previous deal. Sitharaman was also asked whether there was any involvement of a private sector company in the deal, to which she clarified that neither any public sector nor private sector company was included in the agreement. Sitharaman further added that the deal has been finalised at an amount lower than the earlier deal.

Rahul alleges 'scam' in Rafale deal

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poll-bound Gujarat on Friday and alleged that the latter did not want the &quot;truth&quot; behind the multi-crore Rafale deal and Jay Shah issue to come out before the Assembly election in his home state.

He also alleged that the NDA government was delaying the Winter Session of Parliament as Modi was not ready to discuss the Rafale and Jay Shah issues in the House before the Gujarat polls.

&quot;I would ask Modiji three questions (on the Rafale deal). First, is there a difference in the cost of planes in the first and the second contract (signed with a French firm) and did India pay more or less money as per the second contract?

&quot;And, has the industrialist (whose company has formed a joint venture with the French firm), who was given the contract, ever manufactured planes?,&quot; he asked while addressing a public gathering here in Gandhinagar district.

The Congress leader also sought to know if the due procedure was followed while inking the deal with France last year to procure the Rafale fighter jets.

&quot;And a more important question, did you follow the due government procedure? Why the (then) was the defence minister was seen catching fish in Goa? And, was an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security taken (for the mega-deal)?&quot; he asked.

The Congress vice-president alleged that the prime minister was avoiding answering these questions due to the fear that the &quot;truth&quot; would come out before the crucial polls in his home state.

&quot;Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections,&quot; he said.

&quot;Rafale is a matter related to the Indian Air Force, national security, martyrs. Modiji will have to answer these questions before the people of the country and Gujarat,&quot; he said.

The 47-year-old Amethi MP said while the media persons asked him a lot of questions, they did not do the same with the prime minister over the Rafale and Jay Shah issues.

&quot;Modiji will make many tours of Gujarat. Press reporters ask me various questions. Why don&#39;t you ask Modi about the Rafale deal and Jay Shah? The people should also ask Modiji about Rafale and Jay Shah when he comes to Gujarat,&quot; he said.

The prime minister is scheduled to address a series of poll rallies in Gujarat in support of the BJP candidates next week.

The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls in two phases -- on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 18.

'Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections,' said the Congress vice-president

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poll-bound Gujarat on Friday and alleged that the latter did not want the "truth" behind the multi-crore Rafale deal and Jay Shah issue to come out before the Assembly election in his home state. He also alleged that the NDA government was delaying the Winter Session of Parliament as Modi was not ready to discuss the Rafale and Jay Shah issues in the House before the Gujarat polls. "I would ask Modiji three questions (on the Rafale deal). First, is there a difference in the cost of planes in the first and the second contract (signed with a French firm) and did India pay more or less money as per the second contract? "And, has the industrialist (whose company has formed a joint venture with the French firm), who was given the contract, ever manufactured planes?," he asked while addressing a public gathering here in Gandhinagar district. The Congress leader also sought to know if the due procedure was followed while inking the deal with France last year to procure the Rafale fighter jets. "And a more important question, did you follow the due government procedure? Why the (then) was the defence minister was seen catching fish in Goa? And, was an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security taken (for the mega-deal)?" he asked. The Congress vice-president alleged that the prime minister was avoiding answering these questions due to the fear that the "truth" would come out before the crucial polls in his home state. "Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections," he said. "Rafale is a matter related to the Indian Air Force, national security, martyrs. Modiji will have to answer these questions before the people of the country and Gujarat," he said. The 47-year-old Amethi MP said while the media persons asked him a lot of questions, they did not do the same with the prime minister over the Rafale and Jay Shah issues. "Modiji will make many tours of Gujarat. Press reporters ask me various questions. Why don't you ask Modi about the Rafale deal and Jay Shah? The people should also ask Modiji about Rafale and Jay Shah when he comes to Gujarat," he said. The prime minister is scheduled to address a series of poll rallies in Gujarat in support of the BJP candidates next week. The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls in two phases -- on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 18.

Rahul trains guns on PM Modi over Rafale deal, again

Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today fired yet another salvo on Twitter.&nbsp;

Attacking Modi on the Rafale deal, the Congress leader told reporters that they have been asking so many questions and he responded but why have they failed to question the prime minister on who changed the Rafale deal to&nbsp;benefit of &quot;one&quot;&nbsp;businessman.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
You ask me so many questions &amp; I answer you properly, why don&#39;t you ask the PM about Rafale deal? He changed the whole deal for benefit of one businessman. Why don&#39;t you ask questions about Amit Shah&#39;s son? These are the questions I wanted to ask you: Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/p5S3nPMecR">pic.twitter.com/p5S3nPMecR</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931057231935676416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;You ask me so many questions &amp; I answer you properly, why don&#39;t you ask the PM about Rafale deal? He changed the whole deal for benefit of one businessman. Why don&#39;t you ask questions about Amit Shah&#39;s son? These are the questions I wanted to ask you,&#39;&#39; Rahul Gandhi said without mentioning Anil Ambani-owned Reliance.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Can you explain &quot;Reliance&quot; on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/930995047436185600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Taking a jibe at Modi on Twitter, the Congress vice-president said Self &quot;Reliance&quot; is obviously a critical aspect of &quot;Make in India.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Self &quot;Reliance&quot; is obviously a critical aspect of &quot;Make in India.&quot;
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/930995317801082882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Rahul took a dig at PM&nbsp;Modi asking: Can you explain &quot;Reliance&quot; on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?

Continuing his witty jibe on Modi, he further asked on his Twitter handle: Can you explain "Reliance" on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?

Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today fired yet another salvo on Twitter. Attacking Modi on the Rafale deal, the Congress leader told reporters that they have been asking so many questions and he responded but why have they failed to question the prime minister on who changed the Rafale deal to benefit of "one" businessman. You ask me so many questions & I answer you properly, why don't you ask the PM about Rafale deal? He changed the whole deal for benefit of one businessman. Why don't you ask questions about Amit Shah's son? These are the questions I wanted to ask you: Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/p5S3nPMecR — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2017 × "You ask me so many questions & I answer you properly, why don't you ask the PM about Rafale deal? He changed the whole deal for benefit of one businessman. Why don't you ask questions about Amit Shah's son? These are the questions I wanted to ask you,'' Rahul Gandhi said without mentioning Anil Ambani-owned Reliance. Can you explain "Reliance" on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal? — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 16, 2017 × Taking a jibe at Modi on Twitter, the Congress vice-president said Self "Reliance" is obviously a critical aspect of "Make in India." Self "Reliance" is obviously a critical aspect of "Make in India." — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 16, 2017 × Rahul took a dig at PM Modi asking: Can you explain "Reliance" on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?

Now, Rahul Gandhi tweets on Rafale deal, takes a dig at Modi government

India inked a 7.8 billion Euro ($8.7 billion) deal with France today to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets, in what is being viewed as country&#39;s first major acquisition of combat planes in two decades. 
 
France&#39;s defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian inked the agreement with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;You can only ever be completely sure once (the deal) has been signed and that&#39;s what happened today,&quot; Le Drian was quoted as saying by AFP after the ceremony, referring to almost 18 months of wrangling over financial terms between New Delhi and Dassault Aviation, the jet&#39;s manufacturer. 
 
The deal is likely to give a boost to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s plan to rebuild an ageing fleet of Indian Airforce (IAF).&nbsp; 
 
The IAF is down to 33 squadrons, against its requirement of 45 to face both China and nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, international news agency Reuters observed.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the deal was also hailed by French President Francois Hollande as recognition of France`s aviation industry.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The agreement... is a mark of the recognition by a major military power of the operational performance, the technical quality and the competitiveness of the French aviation industry,&quot; he said in a statement, according to AFP.&nbsp; 
 
The French jet manufacturer, as per the news agency, had long struggled to find buyers overseas, despite heavy lobbying efforts by the President&#39;s administration. 
 
One of the biggest defence deals in decades, the agreeement comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros, following hard negotiations by the Indian side, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp; 
 
Mooted by the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2012, the deal was earlier scrapped by the Narendra Modi government, besides a 50 per cent offset clause, PTI reports.&nbsp; 
 
The 50 per cent offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over three billion Euros.&nbsp; 
 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The deal is likely to give a boost to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to rebuild an ageing fleet of Indian Airforce

India inked a 7.8 billion Euro ($8.7 billion) deal with France today to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets, in what is being viewed as country's first major acquisition of combat planes in two decades. France's defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian inked the agreement with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi. "You can only ever be completely sure once (the deal) has been signed and that's what happened today," Le Drian was quoted as saying by AFP after the ceremony, referring to almost 18 months of wrangling over financial terms between New Delhi and Dassault Aviation, the jet's manufacturer. The deal is likely to give a boost to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to rebuild an ageing fleet of Indian Airforce (IAF). The IAF is down to 33 squadrons, against its requirement of 45 to face both China and nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, international news agency Reuters observed. Meanwhile, the deal was also hailed by French President Francois Hollande as recognition of France`s aviation industry. "The agreement... is a mark of the recognition by a major military power of the operational performance, the technical quality and the competitiveness of the French aviation industry," he said in a statement, according to AFP. The French jet manufacturer, as per the news agency, had long struggled to find buyers overseas, despite heavy lobbying efforts by the President's administration. One of the biggest defence deals in decades, the agreeement comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros, following hard negotiations by the Indian side, Indian news agency PTI reported. Mooted by the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2012, the deal was earlier scrapped by the Narendra Modi government, besides a 50 per cent offset clause, PTI reports. The 50 per cent offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over three billion Euros. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India, France ink 7.87-billion Euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jet planes

Indian cabinet on Wednesday cleared the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation, the fist fighter jet deal in 20 years.&nbsp; 
 
Under the deal, India will get 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition at the cost of Euros 7.8 billion.&nbsp; 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to discuss the deal which is crucial to boost the Indian Air Force. 
 
The announcement paves the way for signing of the mega deal with France. French defence minister Yves Le Drian is arriving on September 23 to finalise the deal. 
 
The deliveries will start in 36 months and finished in 66 months from the date contract is inked. 
 
The deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros than the earlier one, besides a 50 per cent offset clause.&nbsp; 
 
The jets come equipped with state-of-the-art missiles like Meteor and Scalp that will give the IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.&nbsp; 
 
The armaments cost about 710 million Euros while Indian specific changes, including integration of Israeli helmet mounted displays, will cost 1700 million Euros.&nbsp; 
 
Besides other features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of the IAF is the Beyond Visual Range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 kilometres. 
 
Scalp, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range in excess of 300 kilometres also gives the IAF an edge over its adversaries. 
 
French President Francois Hollande Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had intervened in the troubled Rafale procurement last year, ordering government-to-government talks after commercial negotiations with Dassault had collapsed. 
 
India&#39;s fighter aircraft fleet, comprising Russian, British and French planes, is down to 33 squadrons as against the air force&#39;s requirement of 45. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The mega-deal to boost the Indian Air Force comes a cost of Euros 7.8 billion and a 50 percent offset clause

Indian cabinet on Wednesday cleared the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation, the fist fighter jet deal in 20 years. Under the deal, India will get 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition at the cost of Euros 7.8 billion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to discuss the deal which is crucial to boost the Indian Air Force. The announcement paves the way for signing of the mega deal with France. French defence minister Yves Le Drian is arriving on September 23 to finalise the deal. The deliveries will start in 36 months and finished in 66 months from the date contract is inked. The deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros than the earlier one, besides a 50 per cent offset clause. The jets come equipped with state-of-the-art missiles like Meteor and Scalp that will give the IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal. The armaments cost about 710 million Euros while Indian specific changes, including integration of Israeli helmet mounted displays, will cost 1700 million Euros. Besides other features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of the IAF is the Beyond Visual Range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 kilometres. Scalp, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range in excess of 300 kilometres also gives the IAF an edge over its adversaries. French President Francois Hollande Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had intervened in the troubled Rafale procurement last year, ordering government-to-government talks after commercial negotiations with Dassault had collapsed. India's fighter aircraft fleet, comprising Russian, British and French planes, is down to 33 squadrons as against the air force's requirement of 45. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India approves purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets

rafale-deal

Rafale Deal, News on Rafale Deal, stories on Rafale Deal, articles on Rafale Deal, Rafale Deal stories at Wion, Rafale Deal news, Rafale Deal latest news

rafale deal

Supriya Sule says Pawar has been misunderstood on Rafale remarks

People don't have doubts over PM Modi's intentions over Rafale deal: Sharad Pawar

Rahul says Modi targeted official who raised objections on Rafale deal

Macron did not contradict Hollande's claim on Rafale: Jaipal Reddy

Rafale deal could set a bad precedent

BJP indulging in political witch hunt against me for 4 years: Robert Vadra

Congress scrapped Rafale deal as Vadra's firm wasn't made middleman: BJP

AAP leader sends legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over Rafale deal

Opposition indulging in mud-slinging as it's easier: PM Modi

BJP responding to Rafale 'scam' with abuses, mud-slinging: Congress

Deal with Reliance was Dassault Aviation's choice: Report

After Hollande’s remarks, French govt says not involved in choosing Indian partners in Rafale deal

Rafale deal: Differences between HAL, Dassault led to collapse of talks, say report

No scandal in Rafale deal: Defence Minister Sitharaman

Loss to exchequer on Rafale deal over 40,000 crore, tweets Rahul Gandhi

Rafale deal: Dassault called government's lie, says Rahul Gandhi

WION Evening News Brief, March 16, 2018

Rafale deal: Dassault called government's lie, says Rahul Gandhi

Modi government should come clean on Rafale deal: Congress

No question of Rafale deal going the Bofors way: Nirmala Sitharaman

PM Modi gave Rafale contract to his friend: Rahul Gandhi

WION Evening News Brief, February 9, 2018

Rahul alleges 'scam' in Rafale deal

Rahul trains guns on PM Modi over Rafale deal, again

Now, Rahul Gandhi tweets on Rafale deal, takes a dig at Modi government

India, France ink 7.87-billion Euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jet planes