New Delhi: Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi today claimed that the government at the center led by Narendra Modi was focusing on renegotiating UPA-negotiated defence deals instead of bringing them to a finalization stage and this move in turn was creating life risks for the pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF).
“Since 2014, instead of closing the deals that had been negotiated by the Congress-led UPA government, the present government has focussed on renegotiating them just to benefit crony capitalists. And so, our pilots are forced to put their lives at risk each day — flying ancient Jaguars, that are kept in the air using parts scrounged from junk yards in France and other parts of the world,” said Mr Gandhi in a Facebook post.
“Not only is this shameful, it reduces India’s prestige globally and puts the lives of our pilots at risk,” he said commenting over the IAF’s drive to procure airframes and spares from overseas grounded-fighters to upgrade the ageing Jaguar fleet.
Mr. Gandhi further said that the UPA – negotiated Rafale deal to buy 126 aircraft would have eventually transformed the Indian Air Force “allowing us to scrap and replace ancient aircraft like the Jaguar.”
“It involved the transfer of technology to HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) which would have helped make us become more self-reliant in the future. Instead, the deal was re-worked to Anil Ambani’s benefit and reduced to just 36 aircraft — all made in France! These aircraft will take years to arrive in India,” the Congress chief added.
The Rafale issue has gained wide media coverage after it became a huge controversy in the backdrop of the accusations made by opposition party Congress. The Rafale fighter jet deal was at first finalized between Indian and French government with the condition that the French company Dassault Aviation suppliers all the 126 fighter jets in fly-away condition. The Government at the centre during the deal was under Congress led UPA alliance.
But when the BJP came to power at the center under an alliance named as NDA, the deal was renegotiated with the French Government with the condition that the company deliver some of those aircraft in fly away condition and others were to be manufactured in India in collaboration with an Indian company under transfer of technology mode. But the cost of each aircraft have increased more than three times than earlier deal. This became the center of attention over the controversy. The Congress alleges that the deal is being done under corrupt conditions.
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