The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed stormy scenes as the Rafale deal was taken up for discussion and saw a heated exchange between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who categorically rejected demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed stormy scenes as the Rafale deal was taken up for discussion and saw a heated exchange between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who categorically rejected demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter.
“Let me remind you of a JPC the Congress government appointed in 1987 on the Bofors deal. The committee whitewashed the whole deal,” Jaitley said.
Initiating the discussion, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he “does not have guts” to come to Parliament to confront questions on the Rafale issue and “hides” in his room.
Questioning the rationale behind handing over the offset contract of the Rafale deal to “failed businessman” Anil Ambani, Gandhi said PM Modi bypassed procedures to award the contract to a private entity after agreeing to a three-time hike in the price per aircraft and reducing the number of planes to be bought.
“Is it not true that defence ministry officials objected to the new price of Rs 1,600 crore. Ambani opens the company ten days before the Rafale deal and the Prime Minister orders the deal to go to Anil Ambani. HAL is the potential future in the aviation industry,” Gandhi said amid sloganeering from NDA MPs.
Pandemonium broke loose when Gandhi took out his phone and sought permission from Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to play a recorded conversation purportedly of a Goa minister on the Rafale issue. Mahajan asked Gandhi to authenticate the purported conversation and sternly told him not to play any recording.
“They are so afraid, I will not play the tape,” Gandhi said, adding he would read from the taped conversation. In the tape, released by Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, Goa minister Vishwajit Rane can be purportedly heard saying that during a Goa Cabinet meeting last week, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom.
Arun Jaitley’s retort on Rafale debate
Replying to Gandhi, Jaitley said the Congress chief’s allegations on the Rafale deal were rejected by the Supreme Court. “Some people naturally dislike the truth. The French government dismissed the Congress’ allegations,” Jaitley said.
Raking up the Bofors scam, Jaitley said, “Some people understand money but not national security. When he (Rahul) was a young man, he was playing in the lap of one Q (Quattrocchi) whose name cropped up in the Bofors case.”
Rejecting Congress’ demands for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the deal, Jaitley said, “When the Supreme Court has gone through pricing and other details, how can there be JPC? This is no policy matter, or govt or administrative matter.”
“Let me remind you of a JPC the Congress government appointed in 1987 on the Bofors deal. The committee whitewashed the whole deal,” Jaitley said.
Initiating the discussion, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he “does not have guts” to come to Parliament to confront questions on the Rafale issue and “hides” in his room.
Questioning the rationale behind handing over the offset contract of the Rafale deal to “failed businessman” Anil Ambani, Gandhi said PM Modi bypassed procedures to award the contract to a private entity after agreeing to a three-time hike in the price per aircraft and reducing the number of planes to be bought.
“Is it not true that defence ministry officials objected to the new price of Rs 1,600 crore. Ambani opens the company ten days before the Rafale deal and the Prime Minister orders the deal to go to Anil Ambani. HAL is the potential future in the aviation industry,” Gandhi said amid sloganeering from NDA MPs.
Pandemonium broke loose when Gandhi took out his phone and sought permission from Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to play a recorded conversation purportedly of a Goa minister on the Rafale issue. Mahajan asked Gandhi to authenticate the purported conversation and sternly told him not to play any recording.
“They are so afraid, I will not play the tape,” Gandhi said, adding he would read from the taped conversation. In the tape, released by Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, Goa minister Vishwajit Rane can be purportedly heard saying that during a Goa Cabinet meeting last week, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom.
Arun Jaitley’s retort on Rafale debate
Replying to Gandhi, Jaitley said the Congress chief’s allegations on the Rafale deal were rejected by the Supreme Court. “Some people naturally dislike the truth. The French government dismissed the Congress’ allegations,” Jaitley said.
Raking up the Bofors scam, Jaitley said, “Some people understand money but not national security. When he (Rahul) was a young man, he was playing in the lap of one Q (Quattrocchi) whose name cropped up in the Bofors case.”
Rejecting Congress’ demands for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the deal, Jaitley said, “When the Supreme Court has gone through pricing and other details, how can there be JPC? This is no policy matter, or govt or administrative matter.”