Centre misled SC on Rafale: Cong leader

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Dharamsala, December 18

Punjab PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla in a press conference held here today alleged that the union government led by the BJP concealed information from the Supreme Court about the Rafale deal. The Supreme Court has given its verdict based on the material provided by the government and in view of its constricted/limited scope of judicial scrutiny in terms of Article 32 of the Constitution.

Singla said that the court acknowledges its inability to assess matters, given its complexities. The Supreme Court cannot convert itself into an investigation agency. The present case is one that necessitates an in-depth investigation.

The government misled the Supreme Court on the aspect of the pricing details being part of the CAG report and consequently placed before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The PAC chairman and the CAG have clarified that there is no such report. This amounts to perjury by the government. Facts have been distorted and placed before the Supreme Court by the Modi government, he alleged. He alleged that the Rafale deal was the biggest scam in procurement of aircraft and it also compromises national security. The scam has caused a direct loss of Rs 40,000 crore to the national exchequer and provided indirect benefits of about Rs 1 lakh crore to the newly registered company of Anil Ambani. He said that a deal was signed by the UPA-II government to procure 126 fighter aircraft with Dassault of France. Under the agreement, 18 Rafale fighter aircraft were to be supplied to India in readymade form. The remaining 108 aircraft were to be manufactured in India by the HAL in collaboration with Dassault company. The Dassault had also agreed to transfer the technology to HAL for future manufacturing of Rafale aircraft, Singla alleged. The cost of each aircraft to be supplied by Dassault company was coming to about Rs 526 crores per aircraft as per the deal struck by the UPA-II government. Singla further alleged that the NDA government after coming to power cancelled the deal andAnil ambani’s firm was given the deal.