It looks like BJP will have to make some serious efforts to defend the allegations regarding Rafale deal in the coming days. Congress party seemed well set to make the next big political move as Senior Congress leader A K Antony on Tuesday, accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of suppressing facts on the Rafale deal. He asked why the government is not favourable towards setting up a joint parliamentary committee to investigate the issue. The former defence minister also accused the government of being “guilty” of “gravely compromising” national security in the Rafale fighter jet deal.
Earlier, some allegations were raised against Antony as Sitharaman had accused that an unprecedented intervention by him in 2013 put the “final nail in the coffin” when the cost negotiation committee was giving final touches to the deal. Antony rejected this accusation as “completely false”
Antony also raised a pertinent question when he asked if the price of the Rafale fighter jets were cheaper than that negotiated by the UPA and why it did not buy 126 aircraft instead of 36 from the French manufacturer. He said Nirmal Sitharaman is trying to tarnish the image of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
“The Congress party demands that the Modi government publish the price of the Congress-UPA’s deal of 126 aircrafts and the price of its 36 Rafale deals, including per aircraft price of the same to clear the doubts of the people of India, let the Nation decide who is correct. Since, there is a growing perception that the Modi government’s Rafale purchase deal has more skeletons in its closet, let there be Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC) to bring the truth out in the open,” he told reporters.
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