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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 20 September, accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" regarding Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) capability to build Rafale aircraft, and demanded her resignation, PTI reported.
The Congress chief took to Twitter to attack Sitharaman, alleging that her position as the defence minister has become ‘untenable’ as a former HAL chief has "nailed her lie".
The Congress has alleged that the government caused loss of over Rs 41,000 crore to the exchequer and endangered national security by bypassing the state-run HAL in favour of some businessmen "friends" for offset contract in the Rafale deal.
Under India's offset policy, foreign defence entities are mandated to spend at least 30 percent of the total contract value in India through procurement of components or setting up of research and development facilities.
UPA Accountable, Alleges Sitharaman
On Tuesday, 18 September, Sitharaman alleged that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had failed to strengthen HAL for better bidding prices.
“The entire issue of HAL not being chosen happened during their time. Every question should actually go to them. You (UPA) have not taken care of HAL. You have not made the terms appealing enough for HAL to bid it successfully with Dassault,” Sitharaman had said, referring to the former UPA regime.
Sitharaman had also said the accountability for sidelining the interests of HAL, a state-owned aerospace, lies with the previous governments, and not with the present one.
Sitharaman had earlier told PTI that it was former Defence Minister AK Antony's unprecedented intervention that led to the deal being cancelled after the price negotiation committee had almost finalised the deal.
The charge has been denied by Antony.
Sitharaman had also accused Antony of not supporting HAL in getting the Rafale deal.
The Congress has stepped up the attack on the government over the Rafale deal, and is seeking to make it a major poll issue ahead of assembly elections in some key states later this year and the parliamentary election in 2019.
(With inputs from PTI)
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