New Delhi: The Congress party, today, in Lok Sabha, moved a breach of privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. As per there claim the prime minister an defense minister has completely “misled parliament” over the Rafale deal and its related secrecy clause.

The leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, moved the breach of privilege motion against Prime Minister Modi, while Congress leader Jyotiradtiya Scindia submitted the notice to the speaker in Lok Sabha against Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

During the no-confidence motion against the central government in Lok Sabha, in his speech last Friday, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had claimed that there was “no such (secrecy) clause” with regards to the Rafale deal between France and India. He further claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron told him specifically that there was no such clause.

But the French embassy located in New Delhi was very quick to respond and clarify that the agreement signed in the year 2008 by then Defence Minister AK Antony did indeed have a confidentiality clause. And this was later pointed out by the Defence Minister Ms Sitharaman in her rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress party had vowed action after Friday’s debate over the no-confidence motion against the government.

The Congress party has demanded a price break-up for the government offering amount of money for the fighter jets. The party contends that the government is trying to favour a businessman. The party says that the government bought 36 Rafale fighters at three times greater the price negotiated by the UPA government for 126 aircraft.

But the prime minister claimed that the deal was completely transparent but the Defence Minister’s action was contradictory. The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharman has informed the parliament about the price cannot be revealed due to the fact there was indeed a secrecy clause and that statement was “totally wrong”, the Congress said.

The 2008 agreement between both countries of France and India is regarding Defence cooperation and includes “acquisition, purchase and transfer of technology between the two nations” and the Prime Minister is “fully aware” of this, the Congress claimed. It was not specific to Rafale fighter jets and does not prohibit the disclosure of the purchase price, the letter read.

French government issued a statement in response to Friday’s debate has “nowhere contradicted what was demanded in the House by the Opposition”, which is a disclosure of the purchase price of Rafale jet fighters, the Congress said. The statement, the letter said, “had merely referred to the 2008 confidentiality agreement”.

The Congress party said that on at least two occasions, the junior defense minister had disclosed the approximate price of the fighter jets which was contradictory to the stand taken by his boss and the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister’s claim on transparency in the agreement is factually incorrect and untrue and deliberately made with the intention of misleading the House,” the letter read.

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