Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday posed a set of questions to the Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his party on the Rafale deal. These questions have come at time when the Gandhi scion is continuously alleging wrong doings in the deal.

“Needless to say, if replies are received in the public space or even if there is an issue diversion and no reply is received, I would be constrained to come out with further specific facts, which establish truth as a victim of Shri Rahul Gandhi and his party merely peddling his falsehoods,” Jaitley wrote in his blog titled ‘15 Questions that Expose Congress Party’s Falsehood on Rafale,’ while adding that he was constrained by the secrecy clause, which exists in the contract and whatever asked or responded, these would be constrained by that limitation.

Terming the campaign against the Rafale deal as false, the Minister said it is based on untruth. It is alleged in the campaign that the NDA government paid a higher price than what the UPA would have paid if the deal was completed on the basis of the 2007 offer of Dassault. Then proper procedures such as negotiations by the Contract Negotiation Committee and approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) were not obtained. It was also alleged that a private industrialist in India was favoured and the interest of a public sector undertaking was compromised.

“Each one of the above issues raised is based on complete falsehood. It is expected from national political parties and its responsible leaders to keep themselves informed of the basic facts before they enter a public discourse on defence transactions,” Jaitley said while classifying the questions into four categories. Here are the questions:

On Delay

(1) The UPA was a government which suffered from decision-making paralysis. Do you agree that the delay of over one decade was only on account of the incompetence and indecisiveness of the UPA government?

(2) Did this delay seriously compromise national security? Is not the medium multi-role combat aircraft required by our forces to identify and strike at targets, particularly when two of our neighbours have already enhanced their strength in this area?

(3) Was this delay and eventual abatement of the purchase by the UPA based on collateral considerations as were witnessed in earlier transactions such as the purchase of the 155 mm Bofors gun?

Unsure of facts

(4) How is it that Shri Rahul Gandhi quoted a price of Rs 700 crore per aircraft in Delhi and Karnataka in April and May this year? In Parliament, he reduced it to Rs 520 crore per aircraft, in Raipur he increased it to Rs 540 crore; in Jaipur he used the two figures – Rs 520 crore and Rs 540 crore in the same speech. In Hyderabad, he invented a new price of Rs 526 crore. Truth has only one version, falsehood has many. Are these allegations being made without any familiarity with the facts of the Rafale purchase?

(5) Is Mr Gandhi or the Congress Party aware of price comparison? Is Mr Gandhi aware of the aircraft price, which was quoted in 2007 in the L1 bid? Is he aware that there was an escalation clause, which by 2015 when the NDA struck the price deal, would have further escalated the price? Would not the escalation clause have continued to escalate the price till each of the aircraft was supplied? Have the significant exchange rate variations between Rupee and Euro during the same period been considered?

(6) Is he aware of the fact that if the basic aircraft price on which UPA was to purchase the aircraft along with the escalation clause, the price on which the NDA Government signed the deal is better. The basic aircraft price itself is 9 per cent cheaper under the NDA than it was under the UPA?

(7) Can Shri Rahul Gandhi deny that when the add-ons such as India-specific adaptations, weaponry, etc, are installed on the basic aircraft, the UPA price, which was mentioned in the 2007 L1 offer, would be at least 20 per cent costlier than the more favourable price negotiated by the NDA?

(8) Can Shri Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party deny if the total contract cost, that is, basic aircraft plus add-ons, including weaponry, etc, Indian adaptations plus future supplies and maintenance are all added, the NDA terms become far more favourable than the 2007 L1 offer?

Role of private industries

(9) Can Shri Rahul Gandhi and the Congress deny that the Government of India has no contract whatsoever with any private industry in relation with the Rafale aircraft supplies? In fact, 36 of the Rafale aircraft with their Indian adaptations are going to be sent to India and there will be no manufacture of these 36 aircraft in India.

(10) Any Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) under the offset policy of the UPA can select any number of Indian partners, both from the private sector and the public sector, for offset supplies? This has nothing to do with the Government of India and, therefore, any private industry having benefited from the Government of India is a complete lie. Can Shri Gandhi and his party deny this?

On procedure

(11) Are Shri Gandhi and his party aware of the fact that there are two ways of acquiring a defence equipment, i.e., either by competitive bidding or by an Inter-Governmental Agreement?

(12) Can Mr. Gandhi and his Party deny that the UPA Government in 2007 itself had shortlisted the Rafale as technically-acceptable and L1 in price competition?

(13) Can Shri Gandhi and his party deny that considering the urgency of the defence requirement, the Government of India and the French Government agreed to execute the supply of 36 Rafale aircrafts at terms better than the 2007 offer of the UPA?

(14) Can it be denied that both the Price Negotiation Committee and the Contract Negotiation Committee negotiated for 14 months before concluding the deal?

(15) Can it be denied that before the deal was executed, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the transaction?

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