Rafale scam is the real reason for the delay in constituting a Lokpal by the BJP-led Centre, the Congress said here on Tuesday. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told reporters that Lokpal would have probed the Rafale scam. He asked the BJP leaders and Ministers to answer the questions posed by the Opposition rather than inventing spin theories.
Citing Minister of State (Agriculture) Gajendra Shekhawat’s statement that there is an international conspiracy against the Centre on the Rafale Deal, Sibal said, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is ‘defenceless’ and has lost the courage to face media. This is why Shekhawat has been asked to face media.
‘Lies exposed’
“Her lies were exposed in the Parliament and her comment that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is incapable of building Rafale jets was refuted by the former chairperson of HAL, T Suvarna Raju. After the former French president Francois Hollande’s statement, Sitharaman’s another lie to the nation comes to the fore,” Sibal said.
He said Reliance Defence could not have been chosen without the approval of the BJP-led Government. “These are facts before the public,” Sibal added that Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2013/2016 makes it clear that offset-partner cannot be selected without thorough evaluation and scrutiny by the Defence Minister and Ministry of Defence’s Acquisition Wing.
“Why were all the rules and procedures laid down in the DPP violated? The Government cannot act ignorant,” he added. “Was this procedure bypassed or deliberately ignored by the Defence Minister?” he said.
Sibal said the BJP should share the evidence of adherence to the DPP-offset guidelines in approving Reliance Defence as an offset partner.
“If no proof exists, that means entire Rafale Deal is in violation of the DPP,” he said.
“What extraordinary expertise did Reliance Defence brought to the table to displace the time-tested PSU, HAL?,” Sibal said.