New Delhi: The Vice Chief of the IAF Wednesday gave a strong endorsement of the Rafale fighter jets, saying it will give India an “unprecedented” combat advantage, as the Supreme Court agreed to hear next week a plea seeking a stay on the controversial deal with France.
As the government remained under attack from the Congress and other opposition parties on the escalating Rafale row, the country’s top security brass also gave a briefing to the Union Council of Ministers in a bid to provide the NDA leaders with facts to counter the allegations of favouritism and corruption levelled against it.
Congress General Secretary Shakti Singh Gohil termed the Rafale deal as the “grandmother of all corruption” and said the party would take out protest rallies at district level across the country from tomorrow to “expose” the alleged irregularities committed by the Modi government.
Describing Rafale as a “beautiful” aircraft, Air Marshal S B Deo, the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force(IAF), said those criticising the deal must understand the procurement norms.
Deo said “all discussions on the deal” were taking place as people do not have adequate information about the procurement procedure.
“We are waiting for the aircraft to come. It is a beautiful aircraft. It is a very capable aircraft. It is a capability that we need quickly,” he said on the sidelines of an event when asked about the controversy surrounding the Rafale deal.
Asked about allegations relating to the Rs 58,000 crore deal, Deo said “all the discussions are taking place as people do not have information”.
“They should read DPP (defence procurement procedure) and offset policy,” he said, adding the jets will give India “unprecedented” combat advantage.
India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019.
The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the deal, claiming the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,600 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government. The government has rejected the charges.
At the Supreme Court, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud considered the submissions of advocate M L Sharma that his plea on the Rafale deal be listed for urgent hearing.
In his petition, Sharma has alleged discrepancies in the jet deal and sought a stay on it.
