Downing of Rafale jets will reopen Pandora’s box against Modi

ISLAMABAD: What price will Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have to pay for the military adventure of attacking Pakistan, and what will he have to suffer in terms of his own position and future politics? Analysts say he will soon get an idea of this.

Foreign news agencies have confirmed three Indian Air Force aircraft were destroyed, while DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif told a press conference on Wednesday three Rafale aircraft were also among the Indian Air Force aircraft destroyed.

The purchase of these aircraft had become a controversy in the past when the opposition accused Narendra Modi of inflating the price of the aircraft to benefit his friend Anil Ambani.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanded the deal be made public, which the government refused to accept. The government made the excuse there was a risk of disclosure of national secrets in the Rafale deal.

The controversy was still at its peak when former French President Francois Hollande, in an interview with a French publication, said, “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted on an aircraft deal with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group”. He then made this statement on India’s NDTV. Francois Hollande’s statement came as a bombshell to Modi government. The media reinforced the narrative of opposition party president Rahul Gandhi.

After the destruction of Rafale aircraft, Indian observers are expressing a strong possibility opposition in India will once again raise this issue.