Congress demands JPC probe in Rafale deal, alleges PM Modi interfered at every step of the deal

By PTI

HYDERABAD: Reiterating the Congress demand that the Rafale aircraft deal with France be investigated by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), party spokesperson Pawan Khera here on Tuesday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct involvement in the “Defence scam”.

Khera referred to the French investigative portal Mediapart, which, in a fresh set of revelations, exposed how middleman Sushen Gupta got hold of confidential documents belonging to the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) in 2015 from the Ministry of Defence detailing the stance of the Indian negotiators, during the final lap of negotiation and in particular how they calculated the price of the aircraft, giving a clear advantage to Dassault Aviation (Rafale).

He alleged “the latest revelations in “Operation Cover-up” reveal the dubious nexus between Modi Government-CBI-ED to bury the Rafale Corruption”.

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Mediapart, in its fresh revelations, alleged bogus invoices were used that enabled French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation pay at least 7.5 million Euros in secret commissions to a middleman to help it secure the Rafale deal with India.

The report claimed that commissions were paid between 2007 and 2012, when the Congress-led UPA government was in power at the Centre, for securing the multi-billion Rafale deal with India.

Addressing a press conference here, Khera said that over the last few years Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders have spoken on the issue of “scam” in the Rafale deal and since then several new facts have emerged.

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“The latest facts prove it beyond doubt that the corruption in multi-crore Rafale deal goes right upto the doorstep of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, Khera alleged.

​”The BJP government sacrificed national security, jeopardised the interests of the Indian Air Force and caused losses worth thousands of crores of Rupees to our exchequer,” he alleged.

“We have been demanding a JPC in this matter. These are new facts, which prove beyond doubt, the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in interfering at every step of the deal….therefore the new facts have to be taken to the people’s court,” Khera said.