New Delhi, Feb 13 (IBNS): In a third report by The Hindu pointing a finger at the BJP government, the newspaper stated three Defence Ministry officials had arrived at a conclusion that the Rafale deal (buying of 36 fighter jets from France) made by the Narendra Modi government was not on "better terms" than the one made by the UPA government, The Hindu reported.
Under the Congress-led UPA government, which ruled the country from 2004 to 2014, India has signed a deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets.
The three Defence Ministry officials, who were the domain experts on the seven-member Indian Negotiating Team (INT), also concluded that the delivery schedule of the first 18 of 36 jets in the new deal was slower than the original procurement process.
The latest report by The Hindu is contradicting with the BJP government's claims of a cheaper deal and faster delivery of aircraft under its regime.
Previous The Hindu reports:
Last week, the Hindu furnished a document to claim that the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) held parallel parleys with the French government prompting the Defence Ministry to object to the separate talks.
The Defence Ministry's objection has been quoted by The Hindu, "We may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government....in case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case.”
Stating PMO's parallel talks had "weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team," a Defence Ministry brought a note to then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's notice.
In another report published this week, the newspaper said the Indian government made some unprecedented concessions to France in the Rafale deal.
Days before the signing of the deal, as the newspaper reported, India dropped provisions for anti-corruption penalties and making payments through an escrow account.
BJP defends:
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the Congress is flogging a dead horse.
"The Rafale deal was fully discussed in the house," Sitharaman said while she was speaking in the parliament.
Hurling attack on the Congress, she accused the opposition party of playing a corporate warfare.
The BJP on Saturday alleged that the Hindu and the Congress chief furnished the document by cropping, probably leaving out Parrikar's statement.
Regarding the second report, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said Congress president Rahul Gandhi was a "lobbyist of competitive plane supplier companies".
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