Our Correspondent / New Delhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today slammed the Modi government for reportedly targeting a Defence Ministry official who allegedly raised “objections” over the price of the Rafale jets.
He took to Twitter to take a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a poem in Hindi alleging that he gave benefits to “crony capitalists” at the cost of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the Rafale deal.
Gandhi also alleged that the officer who raised questions over the deal was penalised, while those who sided with the government were rewarded.
He tagged a media report that alleged that the Defence Ministry official who raised objections over the price of the Rafale jets “proceeded” on a month’s leave and the 36-Rafale deal was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council thereafter.
Citing the same media report, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a Tweet, claimed that the Modi government “sent on leave the ‘whistleblower'”, who questioned the loss to the state exchequer “by paying 300% extra for 36 Rafale”.
He also alleged that a senior officer, who overruled the official who raised questions over the Rafale jets pricing, was made a member of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission).
“Perks of pleasing Modi Govt cover corruption tracks,” he claimed.
The Indian Express report stated that nearly a month before the deal was signed in September 2016 by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart in New Delhi, then Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Air) in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), who had been part of the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC), raised questions about the benchmark price and put his objections on record.
The objections raised delayed the Cabinet note approving the deal and its signing, which only happened after his objections were “overruled” by another senior MoD official, Director General (Acquisition).
The government-to-government deal for 36 Rafale aircrafts was announced by Modi during his visit to Paris in April 2015. The proposal for the earlier 126 Rafale jets during the UPA’s regime was scrapped.