The Rafale deal issue rocked the Lok Sabha Friday, with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissing the media report on the deal as “flogging a dead horse” and slamming the opposition for playing into the hands of vested interests.
Amid the opposition uproar over the Rafale matter, Sitharaman made a suo motu statement on the issue in the House.
Immediately after the House convened at noon, members from Congress, TMC and TDP jumped in the well shouting slogans and showing placards referring to Hindu daily report which claimed that the Prime Minister’s Office had interfered in price negotiations in the multi-billion deal to procure Rafale jets.
Opposition members were heard shouting slogans demanding resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Opposition parties also demanded constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale jet deal.
Lok Sabah Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked the slogan shouting members to go to their seats as she would allow them to speak on the matter.
Amid the opposition uproar over the Rafale matter, Sitharaman made a suo motu statement on the issue in the House.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations about the Rafale deal based on the Hindu newspaper report, Nirmala Sitharaman told Lok Sabha “Then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar ji replied to that MoD note that remain calm, “nothing to worry, everything is going alright”.
Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who had dismissed concerns raised by the officials of his ministry in the Rafale aircraft negotiations saying that the fear was an “over reaction.” He also called for further consultations to clarify any points.
A media report published on Friday claimed that the Defence Ministry officials had raised concerns over the direct involvement of prime Minister’s Office in the Rafale deal saying “parallel discussion by the PMO had weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team.”
However, Parrikar in the same file noted at the end: “It appears that PMO and French President office are monitoring the progress of the issue which was an outcome of the summit meeting. Para 5 appears to be an overreaction” Parrikar further tasked Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar to resolve the matter in consultation with Principal Secretary to Prime Minister.
It must to be noted that modi government has stated in Supreme court PMO office has not interfered in Rafale deal but only a call of MoD .
But then Defense Minister parivar advice to Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar to resolve the matter in consultation with Principal Secretary to Prime Minister has become the bone of contention . After the Scam debate went unabated Former Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar said it was “absolutely wrong” to say that the PMO was conducting a parallel negotiation, as alleged in a media report citing internal Defence Ministry file notes to which the Congress and other opposition leaders have latched on to attack the Modi government over the Rafale deal.
But Sticking to the demand for constitution of JPC, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge dubbed the government as anti-national.
“You (government) are anti-national. You indulged in stealing but are instead blaming us…You are buying only 26 jets as against 126,” Kharge said.
He alleged that the defence minister and the prime minister’s office were fighting on the issue and the matter has come out in newspaper also.
“That is why you need to constitute JPC as the reality will come out. All files would come to JPC. We do not want any other explanation…we do not want to listen to anything,” he said.
