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‘Why Was SC Misled?’ Congress Asks PM Modi 11 Questions on Rafale

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned the information submitted by the Centre to the SC.

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After the Supreme Court’s verdict on Rafale deal case, the Congress party challenged the Modi government to answer 11 questions posed by them.

The Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday, 16 December, tweeted a series of 11 questions over the Rafale row.

The CAG's report to PAC, Reliance company's involvement as the offset partner, Hollande's comment on the decision-making procedure, HAL's drop from the deal, 36 fighter jet instead of 126 are few points pointed out by the Congress spokesperson. He called out the information Modi government submitted to the apex court.

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‘When Was the CAG Report Submitted?’

Surjewala questioned the submission and approval of Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report on Rafale deal case to Public Authority Committee.

PAC chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, 15 December, had asked if the report was submitted to the parliament and PAC and whether it was approved by the committee as mentioned in the court’s judgment.

After Kharge's statement, the Centre clarified that the Supreme Court has misinterpreted the information submitted by them.

The Reliance, Hollande Factor

According to Surjewala, Centre’s information said the negotiation between Reliance company and Dassault Aviation happened in 2012, whereas the Reliance Defence Ltd was formed only on 28 March 2015.

He also questioned former France President François Hollande's comment on the controversy where he said that Reliance Defence Ltd was picked by the Indian government and the French government did not play a part in selecting the offset partner.

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‘HAL and Dassault Made a Deal’

'According to the Centre's submission to SC, HAL does not concern with Rafale deal, but HAL and Dassault made a deal on 13 March 2014 which was mentioned by the CEO of Dassault on 25 March and the deal was acknowledged by the foreign secretary on 8 April 2015. Why did they mislead the court?', Surjewala's tweet read.

‘How Did the Centre Decide on 36 Aircrafts a Month Prior to DAC’s Meeting?’

The Conrgess spokesperson next asked how did the Centre announced 36 fighter jets on 10 April 2015, with Defence Acquisition Council’s permission, whereas, DAC's meeting took place only on 13 May 2015 where the decision was taken. He asked how did the government decide one month prior to the meeting.

According to Surjewala, Modi government claimed to SC that the 36 fighter jets deal was made on 23 September 2016, but nobody opposed before Hollande's announcement on 21 September 2018. He claimed that the government spoke on the 'scam' on 23 May 2015 itself.

‘IAF Chief Not Present in Court’

The centre said that IAF chief Brinder Sigh Dhanoa advised against revealing the pricing details of the aircrafts, Surjewala highlighted Dhanoa's absence in the court for the case.

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On the purchase of 36 fighter jets instead of 126 jets, Surjewala asked why was the national security played with by not sticking to Air Force’s demand of 126 jets.

‘Clause in Defence Procurement Procedure Added Later’

‘Details submitted by the Centre said that according to the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2013, Dassault had the liberty to pick the offset partnet without Indian government's interference in the matter, but in reality, this clause was only added on 5 August 2015, whereas the deal announcement was already made on 10 April 2015,’ Sujrewala claimed in his tweet.

Surjewala ended the series of questions with the difference between price per jet under Congress and BJP.

He said that according to the Centre, the price of the 36 fighter jets was a profit deal, but the aircraft Congress was buying for Rs 526 crore, BJP made a deal of Rs 1670 crore per jet.

The recent Supreme Court verdict may have found no irregularities in the decision-making process of the Rafale deal, but has raised many questions on the information submitted by the Centre to the court on which the verdict has been given.

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Topics:  BJP   Congress   Modi 

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