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Police stop Indian Youth Ccongress members during a protest over Rafale deal issue outside the AICC office in New Delhi, on Saturday.(PTI Photo)[/caption]
New Delhi, Sep. 22 (PTI): Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC)Saturday staged protest here against the Centre over the Rafale issue and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation.
The protesters were stopped mid-way by the police as they tried to march to the prime minister’s residence.
Former French president Francois Hollande was quoted as saying by French media that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and “France did not have a choice”.
Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French president Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
The opposition party has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the private firm, though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.
Protest march on Sep 27
The Maharashtra Congress will carry out a protest march on September 27 here to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Rafale fighter jet deal.
Addressing a press conference Saturday, Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan hit out at Modi claiming that for the latter, business interests of friends was greater than the interest of the nation.
He further alleged that details pertaining to the Rafale deal, which he claimed was a scam, was being brushed under the carpet under the guise of national security.
“Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are misleading the people and betraying their trust. Both should resign immediately. Due to the scam, Modi’s corrupt face has been exposed,” Chavan claimed.
The Congress has been accusing massive irregularities in the deal, alleging that the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating procurement of 126 Rafale jets.
Chavan also hit out at the Centre for not having a firm policy on restive Kashmir.
“The government is preparing to celebrate surgical strikes (as Surgical Strike Day on September 29). But, terrorists severed the head of a soldier. Army personnel are getting martyred in Kashmir every day,” he said.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) had Thursday directed varsities and higher educational institutions across the country to observe September 29 as “Surgical strike day”.
In another development, Nationalist Congress Party’s Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil Saturday claimed that the Modi government’s clarification on the Rafale aircraft deal had no meaning after former French President Francois Hollande’s comment on it.
“The Modi government has been fully exposed,” Patil claimed.
Hollande was quoted in a French media report as purportedly saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and France did not have a choice.
The Defence Ministry, in a statement Saturday, said “unnecessary controversies” are being sought to be created following media reports regarding a statement purportedly made by Hollande concerning the selection of Reliance Defence as the offset partner by Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers of Rafale aircraft.
“The government has stated earlier and again reiterates that it had no role in the selection of Reliance Defence as the Offset partner,” the ministry said Saturday.
Upping the ante over the Rafale issue, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani jointly carried out a INR 130,000 crore “surgical strike” on the defence forces.
His renewed attack on Modi came a day after a French media report quoted former French president Francois Hollande as purportedly saying that the Indian government proposed Ambani’s Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the INR 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and France did not have a choice.
“The PM and Anil Ambani jointly carried out a One Hundred & Thirty Thousand Crore, SURGICAL STRIKE on the Indian Defence forces. Modi Ji you dishonoured the blood of our martyred soldiers. Shame on you. You betrayed India’s soul,” Gandhi tweeted.
The report in ‘Mediapart’, a French language publication, quoted Hollande as saying,
“It was the Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us.”
Reacting to Hollande’s reported remark that is at variance with the Indian government’s position, a defence ministry spokesperson said Friday, “The report referring to former French president Hollande’s statement that government of India insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being verified.”
The spokesperson also said, “It is reiterated that neither the government nor the French government had any say in the commercial decision.”
The French government Friday said it was in no manner involved in the choice of Indian industrial partners for the Rafale fighter jet deal, asserting that French companies have the full freedom to select Indian firms for the contract.
Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, had chosen Reliance Defence as its partner to fulfil offset obligations of the deal. The government has been maintaining it did not have any role in selection of the offset partner by Dassault.
In a statement, Dassault Aviation said it decided to partner with Reliance Defence in accordance with the policy of ‘Make in India’.
Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French president Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
The opposition party has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.
