""Almost three hours of explanation by Defence Minister Nimrala Sitharaman in Parliament failed to convince the opposition Congress on the Rafale fighter jet deal. Immediately after the reply, Congress president Rahul Gandhi came out with a statement that he was not satisfied with her response, as "many questions were left unanswered".
While defending the 36 Rafale fighter jet deal (inter-government agreement) with France in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman boasted by saying it was far better than the one (126 fighter jets) that was under negotiation in the time of the Congress-led UPA government. She stated that it was nine per cent cheaper than the previous deal (basic aircraft cost). Second, delivery of the aircraft would be reduced by five months. Third, the new deal features performance-based logistics support without additional cost, for all 36 jets.
Referring to the Bofors scam, Sitharaman said, "Bofors was a scam and it threw Congress out of the power. Rafale is not. It was a decision in national interest. Rafale will bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi back." Hitting back at the Congress, Sitharaman went on say that Congress had stopped the deal (126 jets) when it was in power as it “did not get the money” and ignored national security.
“You stopped the deal, forgetting that the Air Force was suffering. You didn't conclude the deal because it didn't suit you. The deal didn't get you money. They did not intend to buy the aircraft till something else was done. There is something different between defence deal and deal in defence," Sitharaman said, adding that, "We don't do defence dealings. We deal in defence with national security as our priority."
She also alleged that the Congress was shedding crocodile tears on HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) not getting the offset contract with Rafale-maker Dassault as the party did nothing to scale up the capacity of the state-run company.
She stated that the price of the basic aircraft cannot be compared with price of a fully loaded weaponised aircraft. “Comparing Rs 526 crore with Rs 1,600 crore is like comparing apples to oranges,” defence minister said, while concluding an acrimonious debate in Lok Sabha.
She also informed the Lok Sabha that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) was conducting a performance audit of capital acquisition of air systems including the 36 Rafale jets. "Complete draft audit report was received by the ministry of defence in December 2018. Response is under preparation," Sitharaman informed the lower house.
In the end, Rahul Gandhi said that he has not accused Sitharaman or former defence minister Manohar Parrikar for the Rafale scam. "You did nothing but defend the deal. Here, I am accusing the prime minister for the scam," Gandhi said.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said there would be a criminal investigation into the Rafale deal if his party comes to power in the general elections. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "running away" from the questions posed to him.
"If we come to power in 2019, there will be criminal investigation and the people responsible will be punished," Rahul told reporters out the Parliament. Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the deal.
