by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The sniping over Rafale deal showed no signs of ending with the Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate on the Rafale deal and accusing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of “lying” over the contracts given to public sector undertaking HAL even as she accused him of raising “incorrect and misleading” doubts regarding her statement in Parliament.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed Gandhi describing his allegations on the deal to purchase fighter jets from France as “completely false” and said these were based on complete “commercial interests” and to “promote a competitor.”
Making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said she had received confirmation from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that during 2014 to 2018, contracts amounting to Rs 26,570.80 crore had been signed with the public sector company and orders worth approximately Rs 73,000 crore were in the pipeline.
“Doubts are being raised on my statement made on the floor of the house on January 4 regarding procurement orders in the pipeline for HAL… I would like to set all doubts to rest by adding that I have received confirmation from HAL that during 2014-2018, contracts amounting to Rs 26,570.80 crore have already been signed with HAL and orders approximately of Rs 73,000 crore are in the pipeline,” she said without naming Gandhi.
“I had specifically mentioned that there are 83 LCA Tejas fighters ordered worth Rs 50,000 crore, 15 combat helicopters worth Rs 3,000 crore, 200 more helicopters worth Rs 20,000 crore, 19 Dornier transport aircraft worth Rs 3,400 crore, helicopters worth Rs 15,000 crore, and aero-engines worth Rs 8,400 crore. All of them put together amount to Rs 1 lakh crore,” she added.
Placing documents related to those orders on the floor, Sitharaman said they “clearly confirm the correctness of my statement made on the floor of this house and (prove that) the doubts raised in this regard are incorrect and misleading”.
Gandhi had alleged on Sunday that Sitharaman had “lied” to Parliament asked her to produce documents that the government had given contracts of Rs one lakh crore to HAL.
Gandhi kept up his attack on Monday following her statement in the Lok Sabha and described her as a “spokesperson of Narendra Modi”.
He said only contracts worth Rs 26,570 crore have been given to HAL not Rs 1 lakh crore “as stated” by the Minister while replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha last week.
“She spoke a clear lie in Parliament. Contracts of Rs 26,570 crore have been given to HAL. Remarks that more contracts of Rs 73,000 crore have been given is a total sham,” Gandhi told reporters in Parliament House complex.
He said the Modi government had given Dassault Aviation Rs 20,000 crore though they had not delivered a single Rafale aircraft but HAL, which had delivered on its orders including helicopters, was awaiting payment of Rs 15,700 crore. He accused the government of trying to wreck HAL.
Gandhi also accused Modi of doing a “bypass surgery” on the Rafale deal and said Sitharaman should give a “yes” or “no” answer to his question.
“I am asking Prime Minister and Defence Minister: Did officials of Air Force, Defence Ministry say that Narendra Modi had interfered in the deal,” he said.
The Congress chief said when he raised the question in Parliament, Sitharaman started talking about her middle class background which was “also not true”.
He accused Modi of being scared of facing Parliament.
“The chowkidar of the country is scared to face Parliament. He cannot stand in a Rafale debate. Give me 15 minutes with Narendra Modi, the whole country will know (the truth),” he said.
Gandhi also tweeted and said it is surprising that HAL doesn’t have enough cash to pay salaries.
Party leader Kapil Sibal also attacked the Modi government.
“Modiji’s Make in India. IAF pays foreign vendors on schedule, holds back payments to HAL. HAL employees entered New Year without payment of December salaries. HAL takes Rs 781 crore bank loan for running costs. End of this financial year IAF will owe HAL Rs 20,000 crore. Wah Modiji!,” Sibal said.
Prasad told the media that available documents in the public domain raised serious suspicious circumstances of the intention of Rahul Gandhi and Congress.
“It is too well known that the Congress party is never happy unless there is deal in the defence deal. Why is it that the leading family namely the Gandhi family appear in documents after documents, be it the AgustaWestland, be it the Air Force fighter planes for Rafale and their competitor Eurofighter?” he asked.
“Today a media house has come out with a document which says a strategy paper seized during the raids at Italian middleman Guido Haschke’s residence and offices has revealed that Christian Michel and Haschke worked on a plan to place Rafale’s prime competitor in the win zone.”
He said that one of of the middlemen Michel, a British national who is under detention, and others were also pushing the case for Eurofighter, which was in competition with Rafale. He claimed that the documents which have been shown were “explosive” in nature.
Firing salvos at the Congress chief, Prasad said: “Please explain what proximity you and your family have with Michel and Hasche?”
He said that despite Dassault emerging as the lowest bidder, the Congress government wanted a review of the decision-making process.
“How long will you keep on playing with national security?” he asked.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : After a day of heated debate on the controversial Rafale deal Parliament, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday again picked up the gauntlet and said that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke for two hours and still did not answer the two questions posed by him on the Rafale deal.
Gandhi’s remarks came as he shared an “edited” video on his Twitter account of the Parliament debate on the Rafale deal. In the video, he is seen posing two questions: Who took away the contract from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL); and whether Indian Air Force (IAF) officers objected to the changes in the deal.
Sitharaman and other Bharatiya Janata Party ministers are shown to be sitting silently in response to the questions.
“Watch and share this video. Let every Indian ask the Prime Minister and his ministers these questions,” the Congress President said.
Gandhi, on Friday, had said that Sitharaman evaded his questions on the controversial Rafale deal and “ran away” when asked a pointed question if the IAF objected to the changes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made in “two minutes” to the deal, negotiated over eight years.
“Instead of answering the question, she started doing drama — ‘Oh I was insulted. I was called a liar’. My simple question was that after such a long negotiation by the Air Force chief, Defence Minister, secretaries and Air Force officers, did those who did the whole negotiation object when Modi did the bypass surgery to the negotiated deal,” Gandhi had said.
Sitharaman dismissed all allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal and in a reply lasting over two-and-half hours in the Lok Sabha on Friday to a debate on the deal with French manufacturer Dassault, said: “Bofors was a scam, but Rafale was a decision taken in national interest. Rafale will bring back Modi to build a new India and remove corruption.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz
Anil Ambani
New Delhi : Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment in the Rafale deal, saying it has conclusively established “complete falsity of the wild, baseless and politically motivated” allegations levelled against Reliance Group and him personally.
In a statement, he said the Reliance Group was committed to India’s national security and to making its contribution towards the Make in India and Skill India policies of the government in defence, including the offset partnership agreement with valued partner Dassault Aviation.
“I welcome the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court today summarily dismissing all PILs filed on the Rafale contracts, and conclusively establishing the complete falsity of the wild, baseless and politically motivated allegations levelled against Reliance Group and me personally.
“We remain committed to India’s national security and to making our humble contribution towards the Make in India and Skill India policies of the Government in the critical area of defence including our offset partnership agreement with our valued partner, Dassault Aviation of France,” Ambani said.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed four petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters in ready-to-fly conditions, holding that the decision making process was not in doubt and it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of offset Indian partner by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault.
Referring to their interaction with senior air force officers and the material placed before it, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph, said: “We are satisfied there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
New Delhi : The Congress on Friday accused the government of trying to hide its “theft” in the Rafale deal behind a court ruling that did not wish to intervene in a defence deal and persisted with its demand for a JPC inquiry into the purchase of fighter jets from France.
Talking to the media here, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said that the government wanted to speak on the judgment when the House was not in order.
“They are trying to hide the theft under the guise” of PIL-triggered court judgement, he said.
The Congress was not allowed to seek clarifications after Home Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement in the Lok Sahha, he said.
“Our demand continues to be JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee). They want to hide behind the judgement… We will not tolerate this, nor will the people of the country.”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also told reporters that there was corruption in the deal.
“There is multi-layered corruption in the deal. We know that the Supreme Court has no powers to look into all the aspects. So the Congress never went to the Supreme Court,” he said.
“I challenge (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi (to go) for a JPC probe. If you are not scared, why should there not be a JPC? The government will have to tell why price of aircraft — the rate per aircraft has gone up from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,670 crore,” he said.
Surjewala said “half-baked” information about the deal was given by the government to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed four petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters in ready-to-fly conditions holding that the decision making process was not in doubt and it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of offset Indian partner by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Chennai : Attacking the Congress for its offensive against the Modi government on the Rafale deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that the party was “restless” because it could not make money.
She accused the previous Congress government of negotiating with “brokers” and not buying important equipment required for the defence forces.
“… and with brokers and dalal they were still buying time, not buying important equipment. But we are buying now and that’s where I think the Congress is being restless. Restless because they couldn’t make money. …(they) couldn’t perform, left the Air Force where it was,”
she told reporters.
The minister was replying to the Congress attack on the government that has been accused of being involved in a scam in the purchase of Rafale jet fighters from France.
She said the Congress was desperate and its desperation showed.
“That this government could run without any allegation of corruption. For them it’s just not going down the throat. They are just not able to digest the fact. Search for corruption. You can’t find, so throw an allegation and let them keep giving explanations. I’m finished with it, I’ll go to the next allegation. That is their approach,” she said about the Congress offensive.
—IANS
