NDA govt owes an explanation to nation on Rafale deal: Lok Gathbandhan Party

Urban Mirror Correspondent

New Delhi, December 14: The Lok Gathbandhan Party said today that irrespective of the Supreme Court verdict dismissing petitions for court-monitored CBI investigation into the controversial deal with a French company Dassault Aviation for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter, the NDA government still owes an explanation to the nation for the purchase of fighters at a higher cost. The LGP said the way this deal has been settled by the NDA government, it smacks of fishy negotiations aimed at financially helping a corporate house.

The LGP spokesman said here on Friday that alleged corruption cannot be hushed up in the name of security and national interest. Pointing out that the country wanted to know the cost of the aircraft and not other classified technical and security information, the spokesman said the government’s argument about the fairness in deal is not sustainable. The spokesman said in just-concluded state assembly it was a major political issue for which the BJP had to suffer defeat. It will be again in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the spokesman said.

Moreover the BJP in the past had already raised Bofors gun and Augusta helicopter deals in public, the spokesman said and added that the NDA government and especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come out clean on this issue. The LGP, headed by former secretary government of India Vijay Shankar Pandey also wanted to know reasons for the cancellation of 2007 agreement with the French company, which appeared to be more beneficial, and sign a fresh agreement at a higher cost without the transfer of technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 2015. The spokesman said media reports amply indicated that previous agreement was scrapped for a new one to benefit a corporate house The spokesman said it is intriguing that instead of reposing faith in time-tested public sector HAL, the NDA government has banked on a newly floated defense company. The spokesman said that Rafale deal is smacked of all the ingredients of major financial scandal like three-decade old Bofors Howitzer gun and other similar deals of infamous Congress era. The spokesman said the NDA government however cannot escape the responsibility to explain to the nation about causes of scrapping of previous deal and signing new one at the cost of state exchequer.

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