Opposition Congress on Friday accused the BJP-led government of lying before the Supreme Court by citing a “non-existent” CAG report on Rafale deal and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reply to the debate in Lok Sabha on the issue.
Speaking during the short-duration discussion on Rafale, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of giving offset contract to his “favourite man” and reiterated the demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
“The Rafale deal is a Rs 1.30 lakh crore scam. Modi takes ‘AA’ along in his flight...There should be a JPC probe since it is a very big scam. It has to be probed in the court of Parliament,” Kharge said.
When Congress President Rahul Gandhi during his speech in the House on Wednesday took the name of industrialist Anil Ambani, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan told him that he cannot use his name as per Parliament rules. Gandhi then referred to Ambani as ‘AA’.
“We want the Prime Minister to come and sit in the House and reply to the debate. Till PM sits in the House, the Rafale issue will not be solved... He is definitely not involving himself in the Rafale discussion,” Kharge said. He said the Prime Minister speaks in places where it is not required, but when the country wants to hear him, “Modi keeps silent”.
‘Unprecedented lie’
Kharge said the Supreme Court is not an investigative agency and in its verdict the court has said that it has not gone into the technical suitability of the equipment being used in the Rafale fighter jet. But the government is showing it off as a clean chit from the court, he said.
“The court has not given a clean chit in its judgement. But you are roaming with this certificate, which is invalid. You spoke lies and falsehood in Supreme Court,” he alleged.
Kharge alleged that the government cited a non-existent CAG report on Rafale deal to the apex court, but no such report was placed before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). “They want to take a clean chit based on the Supreme Court verdict. The Supreme Court has been misguided. They filed correction application in the court only after the Congress pointed out the discrepancy,” he added.
He also claimed that the government is not making the CAG report on Rafale public since it contains adverse remarks. “The BJP government is teaching English language to the court...A government speaking lie in the Supreme Court is unprecedented,” Kharge said.
Jai Prakash Yadav (RJD) too demanded a probe by Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Rafale deal and asked the government to answer the questions raised by Gandhi on the issue.
‘Brazen corrupt practices’
Addressing the media outside Parliament, the various Congress leaders cited objections raised by the Defence and Law ministries and demanded that the Prime Minister and Defence Minister disclose full facts before Parliament and a JPC.
“Will the Prime Minister and Defence Minister now disclose the full facts to Parliament. Only a JPC can investigate the Rafale scam,” Azad said.
The government has strenuously denied the Congress’ allegations of corruption in the deal and claimed the contract negotiated by it was cheaper than the UPA deal.
The Congress leaders also issued a statement, alleging “dirty secrets, corruption and malfeasance” are tumbling out of the Rafale files, copies of which are also lying in the bedroom of Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Fresh revelations further “expose the brazen corrupt practices” in the Rafale deal, it said.
“The entire spectrum of deception lies at the doorstep of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who overruled the objections raised and recorded by raised by the ‘negotiations team’ in Rafale deal. Shocking and stunning revelations expose a concerted conspiracy to cause loss to public exchequer, besides compromising national security. These were all approved by none less than the PM Modi in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS),” the Congress leaders said in the joint statement.
Surjewala said the Prime Minister should reveal what files are lying in Parrikar’s bedroom. “It is clear that the Rafale deal negotiating team raised several questions on the file but Modiji as head of the CCS threw them in the dustbin and caused a loss to the state exchequer,” he told reporters.
Citing objections raised by the negotiating team and recorded in the Rafale files, the Congress leaders alleged that Modi raised the benchmark price of the jet deal. The government also waived the “advance and performance bank guarantee and sovereign guarantee”, they said.
According to the objections, Modi paid a higher price for Rafales for India compared to Qatar and Egypt and compromised India’s national security and India’s interests by ignoring the discount offered by Eurofighter, they said. “With the looming threat of China and Pakistan, does it not compromise India’s National Security? Why did Prime Minister in CCS increase the original ‘Benchmark Price’ from Euro 5.2 Billion (Rs 39,422 Crore) to Euro 8.2 Billion (Rs 62,166 Crore). Who is responsible for this loss of exchequer,” the Congress leaders asked in the statement.
‘Answer our questions’
Speaking to the media outside Parliament ahead of the government’s reply, Congress President Rahul Gandhi urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to answer the questions raised by the Congress on the multi-million dollar fighter jet deal.
“The Congress and entire opposition want the Defence Minister to answer questions on Rafale, tell us if objections on new deal were raised on file,” Gandhi told reporters. He wanted an assurance from the minister that all questions will be answered.
Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running away from the debate and said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should answer questions raised by the Congress instead of abusing him.