Indian opposition demands FIR against PM Modi in Rs1,226 bn Rafale jet deal

LAHORE: Accusing Premier Narendra Modi of misusing his office and taking kickbacks in the 7.87 billion Euro deal he had struck with the Paris-based Messrs Dassault Aviation for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, the Congress and other opposition political parties in India have demanded that a First Information Report (FIR) should be lodged against country’s Chief Executive and a case be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The amount of 7.8 billion Euros is roughly equivalent to Indian Rs 623.830 billion or Pakistani Rupees 1,226.720 billion.

A key Indian newspaper “The Hindu” has stated: “Congress Party’s media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters that it is now clear that none less than Modi caused loss to the public exchequer by misusing his office. When asked whether the Congress will lodge an FIR in the case, he said the Prime Minister should respect his position and should ask the investigating agencies to file an FIR in the case based on the fresh facts.”

“The Hindu” further said: “Congress general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, said it is a clear case of corruption. “A simple calculation also tells us that Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were extra-keen to get the Rafale by paying more money than was needed, perhaps only to bail out a crony businessman!,” he tweeted. When asked whether the Congress will lodge an FIR in the case, he said the Prime Minister should respect his position and should ask the investigating agencies to file an FIR in the case based on the fresh facts.”

The 140-year old newspaper with a daily circulation of over 1.2 million, has further gone on to write: “Surjewala said the price of 36 Rafale Aircrafts is far more than 126 Rafale aircrafts under UPA Government.”

It quoted Surjewala as saying: “Modi misled Parliament and his Government looted the nation’s treasury. Price of 36 Rafale Aircrafts is € 8460 Million (Indian Rs 63,450 crore) by Indian Negotiation Team (INT)’s own admission and not € 7890 Million (Indian 59,175 Cr), as is being claimed by a fraudulent Modi Government. There is another dimension to the brazen loot - even €8460 Million (Indian Rs 63,450 Cr) is not the final price of 36 Rafales as it merely takes into account an annual escalation rate (inflation rate) of 1.22 per cent for a period of 5.75 years to arrive at this figure.”

Meanwhile, “The Wire,” a New Delhi-based news website published by the “Foundation for Independent Journalism,” has reported: “Soon after the Modi government informed the Supreme Court that official documents related to the controversial Rafale deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry, the Congress attacked the Centre for misleading the court. Congress, which has doggedly been raising the issue, took this opportunity to up its ante. It said that the government was trying to hide behind the official secrecy clause to prevent its corrupt dealings from coming to light.”

The website has held: “The opposition parties have since then alleged that the prime minister took a special interest in the defence deal to benefit the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence Limited, which was subsequently, awarded an Rs 30,000-crore offset contract by the Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation.”

On July 14, 2018, another widely-subscribed Indian media outlet “The Economic Times” had reported: “The reworked deal — buying 36 fighters outright with the option for more could be worth up to $7.5 billion — has the potential of pumping in over $2.3 billion into the Indian defence manufacturing sector, a major chunk of which will go to the private industry. France agreed to a 25 per cent discount on its earlier offer to clinch the deal for an off the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris.”

“The Economic Times” had revealed: “The overall cost is not expected to cross US $8 billion for the entire 36-aircraft fleet, French sources said. The price per aircraft is not just the acquisition cost of the platform, but also includes maintenance facilities, training of pilots and technicians, armaments and spares. In comparison, Dassault signed a deal with Qatar a few days ago to sell 24 Rafale fighters for $7 billion, which would put the per-aircraft cost at just over $290 million. India is set to get a better deal because of the larger number being ordered.”

Research shows that in November 2018, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure had sued “The Wire” for Indian Rs 60 billion in Ahmedabad city civil court for an online video show on the controversial Rafale deal.

The video discussion –titled ‘Rafale Deal: Understanding the Controversy’ – was published on August 23, 2018.

The Reliance Group and Anil Ambani felt that the said programme was “false” and that statements made during the discussion were “wholly incorrect and misleading, made with a deliberate pre-determined motive to harm and injure the reputation” of both the company and its chairman.

It is imperative to note that on February 8, 2019, Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, had stepped up his attack on the Narendra Modi government over Rafale deal, following a news report claiming that the Defence Ministry had objected to “parallel parleys” by the Prime Minister’s Office with the French authorities.

The “Hindustan Times” had reported: “Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly accusing him of “stealing Rs 30,000 crore…to give it his friend Anil Ambani.” He said, “It is a corporate warfare and the Prime Minister is representing Anil Ambani. The government has lied to the Supreme Court...This means that the entire judgment is under question now.” Gandhi has been attacking PM Modi over Rafale deal alleging “he is personally involved in corruption” in the defence deal.”

Research conducted by the “Jang Group and Geo Television Network” shows that the Paris-basedMessrs Dassault Aviation, founded in 1929, has Revenues of over 4.808 billion Euros, enjoys a Net Income of 489 million Euros, and has 11,942 employees on its service.

As far as the specifications of a Rafale aircraft are concerned, it has a top speed of 2,223km/hour, has a range of 3,700km.

Basically, Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft that participates in permanent “Quick Reaction Alert”/air-defense/air sovereignty missions, power projection and deployments for external missions, deep strike missions, air support for ground forces, reconnaissance missions, pilot training sorties and nuclear deterrence duties.

The programme to manufacture Rafale aircraft was started by Dassault Aviation in May 2001 and the cost of this project had rested at 45.9 billion Euros or approximately US$62.7 billion in 2013.