New Delhi: Calling the Rafale deal an exceptional case of post-facto ratification, former union minister for science and technology Jaipal Reddy Thursday said despite the agreement being signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande in 2015, it received formal consent only a year later when the defence ministers of the two countries met in September 2016.
“The Rafale scandal has begun to stink and PM Modi has begun to sink. This deal was signed between PM Modi and Hollande on April 14, 2015. However, the defence ministers, Manohar Parrikar and his counterpart, formally ratified it in September 2016. I am not aware of any major defence pact being ratified after the deal was signed,” the Congress leader said at a press conference.
Saying that present French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict the remarks of his predecessor that the Indian government had “proposed” Reliance Defence as the offset partner for Dassault Aviation in the 36-Rafale deal, Reddy said the consistent non-contradiction from current French authorities amounted to confirmation of facts.
“For the first time on Wednesday, current French President avoided the question on Rafale and said he was not incharge at the time. In other words, he did not contradict the former French President’s words. This consistent non-contradiction from current French authorities is absolutely tantamount to confirmation of facts,” Reddy said.
Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday, Macron said the Rafale deal was a “government-to-government” discussion and he was not in power when the multi-billion dollar agreement was inked.
Reddy further said that for the first time an Indian PM was contradicted by a former president of a responsible world power and asked the BJP government not to confuse Paris with Pakistan. “Can anybody give a single example where Indian PM is contradicted by a major friendly, western democracy? Modi stands self-condemned. For everything, he refers to Pakistan as a ploy. This is Paris and not Pakistan,” he said.
The former minister said the PM was getting sandwiched between international revelations and internal disclosures and should break his silence on the “scam”, which is becoming thicker and more curious with every passing day.
Referring to an Indian Express report that said a senior officer of the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC) raised questions about the deal’s benchmark price a month before it was signed, the Congres leader said it was certain that Anil Ambani’s company was taken as the offset partner due to “pressure” from the Indian government.
Highlights of the Press Briefing Shri Jaipal Reddy, former Union Minister and Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi, Convener Media Department AICC addressed the media at AICC Hdqrs.
Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi said - Every single day there are new revelations of how the entire Rafale deal turned out to be Rafale scam of the biggest proportions, India’s independent history has ever seen. Today we come forward and some more information with regards to how a conspiracy of silence, a conspiracy of collusion taking place from the highest authority in the Nation, has compromised national security, nation’s interest in favour of their own suited-booted friends.
I would request Shri Jaipal Reddy ji, who is also heading the Core Committee on Rafale scam to take this forward and address the media on all the new revelations that have come to the fore.
Shri Jaipal Reddy said- The Rafale Scam is getting ‘thicker’ and ‘thicker’ and 'curiouser and curiouser' with every passing day. Today we will refer to two important developments. Shri Modi is getting caught or sandwiched between international revelations and internal disclosures.
Let me refer to the first part – International Revelations – for the first time, yesterday the present French President Mr Macron while answering a specific question avoided the question. He simply said "I was not In-charge at that time". In other words, he did not contradict the version of the former French President Mr Francois Hollande, who asserted that Anil Ambani‘s company was taken as an off-set partner because of the pressure of Government of India. And the pressure was so intense that they were left with no choice. President Macron had been prepared for long to answer this question. I may recall our President Shri Rahul Gandhi had met him along with the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh earlier on. Then Mr Macron made clear that it was for the Government of India to decide as to which part of the deal is secret. So, yesterday, Mr Macron answered the question in English, was fully prepared to answer the question. He said it was part of a broad framework of relations and all that. In diplomacy, whenever you can’t give an answer, even a Spokesman for the matter, you give a voluminous answer, voluminous answers are not necessarily luminous. So he avoided the question.
The point we would like to highlight is- this consistent non-contradiction by the current French authorities of the claim made by the former President is absolutely tantamount to confirmation of the facts mentioned by the former French President. What did he say? Former President did not make any bones about it. They would not have chosen Anil Ambani’s company but for the pressure of the Government of India. So, this non-contradiction by the current President of France is equivalent to an international revelation - international confirmation.
Now, Shri Modi stands self-condemned. You may ask me how – but everything you refer to Pakistan as a ploy. What does he say about the former French President ? Can Shri Modi say that he is not a well-wisher of India? Did not Shri Modi go in for his famous repeated hugs in France to sign the deal on 10th April 2015. Of all those friendly hugs, how can he call him as hostile ? On what basis ? And as a student of politics, I am not aware of a single example of Prime Minister of India being contradicted by the former President of any responsible major world power in the last 70 years. I have been keen participant in politics for 50 years. I have been a keen student for 60 years – all of you have been students of Indian politics. Can anybody site a single example of former Indian Prime Minister being contradicted by the former President of any major responsible western democracy. And France has been friendly and Shri Modi himself said that France is the only country which has stood by India in the last 70 years consistently, in the days of cold war, when we went in for Nuclear test in 1974 or 1998, it's a friendly power – when we went nuclear, France was the only western country which did not react in a hostile fashion. From the days of President De Gaulle to the current days, France has been friendly country. If the former President of France says something this country has to sit up and take notice.
Shri Modi ! you are no longer contradicting the President of the Congress Party, you are no longer contradicting the opposition in India, you are no longer talking of Pakistani enemy. There are no bogeys left here. There is no ploy left in Paris. Don’t confuse Pakistan with Paris.
So Shri Modi owes an explanation to the nation about the statement made by the former President of France on Anil Ambani’s company. Now, there is a new development – you might have seen in the Indian Express today, New Delhi Edition. This deal was signed between Prime Minister Shri Modi and the then President Francois Hollande on 10th April, 2015.
I am also making another statement as a responsible Parliamentarian. I am not aware of any major defence commercial pact being ratified after the deal was signed. It is an exceptional case of post-facto ratification. After deal was signed by the Head of the Nation, what option the subordinates were left with? Subordinates had to make up and prepare the appropriate paper work for ratification by the Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS). What happened in the process – the deal signed by Shri Modi and France President Hollande had to be signed between the Defence Ministers. Shri Manohar Parrikar and his Defence counterpart in France signed this formal ratification agreement on September 16, 2016 – more than one year afterwards. But before that what happens – Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Air) in Defence Ministry, there is a Department of Acquisition Manager - it is about Defence Standing Committee since I am familiar with it, I am mentioning it to you. Joint Secretary objected to this deal already signed by the Prime Minister. What were the grounds on which he objected? Please go through Indian Express of Delhi today – give up your traditional media rivalry, we don’t want to mention the name of the Paper – you can say one of the major newspapers of India. This rivalry is there all over the world. It is a global phenomenon just as corruption is a global phenomenon. This rivalry also is a global phenomenon.
First objection was on the price. The Joint Secretary Shri Rajiv Verma pointed out that the price arrived at by the UPA Government for 18 aircrafts was cheaper than the one being paid for each of 36 Aircraft.
Second – he also pointed out that Euro Fighter have offered to supply an aircraft of the same kind at 20% price discount. So what did he say - he did not recommend Euro Fighter although the Euro Fighter and Rafale aircraft are more or less equal in their capability. Both of them are first rate international aircraft. We have no doubt about the quality of the aircraft. What did Joint Secretary say – better tell France to charge 20% less. So, what happens – the Joint Secretary Shri Rajiv Verma had to go on leave. There comes a superior officer – senior officer. There comes a superior officer, who overrules the Joint Secretary who went on leave and one Lady Smitha Nagaraj was posted as an officer senior to him and she was posted from the PMO as per the sources. It is for the Government to contradict or confirm, subject to confirmation by the Government. Look at the manipulation. After all this the process of ratification agreement between the Defence Minister of India and Defence Minister of France was delayed by more than one year. It was ratified in September 2016 whereas the deal was signed between the President of France and the Prime Minister on 10th April 2015 - more than one year – it is an order of Rs. 60,000 crores. You are paying Rs. 41,000 crores more and took more than one year to ratify. When was the Cabinet Committee on Security presided over by the Prime Minister, who will do it automatically?
Rafale scam is just now unfolding, many more things to see. So far we do not have the answer for the question. Government of India needed 126 aircrafts. You agreed only for purchase of 36 aircrafts. Priyanka Ji raised this question number of times at number of places including Mathura and Varanasi. What has happened to the remaining 90 aircrafts? How will our Defence be well prepared if we are not equipped at the minimum level in respect of Air Force which is the most important aspect of any defence preparedness.
So, Shri Modi the more you try to run away, the more you get drawn in the morasses of this Rafale controversy. It has begun to stink and Shri Modi has begun to sink. Rafale scam has begun to stink and Shri Modi has begun to sink into the sea of this scandal. There is no way he can get away from it. There is no way we will allow to get away from it. There is no way the people of India will ever forgive him for there is nothing but betrayal of the Nation. For us, it is the betrayal of defence of the country. How can the Prime Minister of India refuse to answer the point raised by the former President of France? How can silence be the response of this to our accusations?
On another question related to the statement of current president of France, Shri Reddy said- ये आपका जो कनà¥à¤•à¥à¤²à¥‚ज़न है, I would like to submit in all humility is wrong. Either the Union Minister earlier, or the President of France Emmanuel Macron has not contradicted the former French President. Remember, both Emmanuel Macron and François Hollande are Presidents of a western country and in France, where is vigorous vibrant democracy. In fact, the editor of the website, media part asserted that he has an audio script of the statement made by the former president François Hollande. He has an audio script.
On another question related to the statement that it is a Government to Government deal, Shri Reddy said - गवरà¥à¤¨à¤®à¥‡à¤‚ट टू गवरà¥à¤¨à¤®à¥‡à¤‚ट डील में कà¥à¤¯à¤¾ फंकà¥à¤¶à¤¨à¥à¤¸ होते हैं? à¤à¤• डà¥à¤¯à¥‚टी ये होती है, Government takes responsibility for delivery of the Aircrafts. Secondly, Government takes responsibility for the quality of the Aircraft, but the Governments of either country don’t take responsibility for the price of the Aircraft, and for the number of the Aircraft. ये Government to Government बोलकर you can’t bury everything. Government to Government contracts entail only two obligations. One is the Government of France will ensure the quality of the Aircraft, another is delivery.
On another question related to the statement of Army Chief, Shri Reddy said- It is very unfortunate that the Government of India is involving the serving Chiefs of Air Force, Army on such matters. We don’t enter into arguments with the serving Chiefs.
