Did Modi government pay three times more for the Rafale deal to France than what the French Air Force is paying for a better version of the same fighter jet? The answer seems to be yes, going by the facts made public so far.
On Monday, French minister for Armed Forces, Florence Parly announced an order of 28 Rafale fighter aircraft for €2 billion for French Air Force, during a visit to Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale.
D’ici 2024, 28 Rafale supplémentaires seront livrés. Nous en commanderons 30 nouveaux en 2023.
Cet investissement de 2 milliards d’euros : ce sont 2500 à 5000 emplois, des carnets de commande remplis, des centaines de PME qui travaillent. pic.twitter.com/MPuSu46LgR— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) January 14, 2019
The French deal, which has been made public by Dassault in a press release, and Parly on her Twitter page, brings into contrast Modi government’s deal for 36 Rafale aircraft from France for €7.87 billion in 2016. Using the yardstick of the French government’s payment to Dassault, the Modi government’s deal should have cost only €2.57 billion Euro.
This means that the Modi government ended up paying more than three times for the fighter aircraft than what the French government has paid for its Rafale. It is a burden borne by the Indian taxpayer and lends weight to the allegation made by opposition leaders that Narendra Modi and his NSA, Ajit Doval took a personal interest in the Rs 59,000 crore defence deal, to benefit cronies and facilitate corruption.
Modi government has been unable to place a cogent defence of its position and had hidden behind an agreement with the French government to keep the price details secret from the Parliament and the public. Although French President Emanuel Macron had told India Today that there was no bar on keeping the price details secret, Modi government has not relented giving rise to suspicions about wrongdoing in the deal.
Moreover, the 28 Rafale fighter aircraft ordered by France from Dassault will be more advanced than those ordered by the Modi government, which had gone by specifications issued by the Indian Air Force in 2007. The 28 aircraft will include some F4 functionalities, which includes upgraded radar sensors and front sector optronics as well as improved capabilities in the helmet-mounted display. The 36 Rafales to be supplied to India, in comparison, are of F3 standard.
The French Rafale will also have new weapons; notably, MBDA’s Mica NG air-to-air missile and 1,000 kg AASM air-to-ground modular weapon, be able to carry the new Scalp missiles and be equipped with the Talios multifunction optronic pod made by Thales. Modi government has boasted a lot about the Meteor and Scalp missiles it has ordered for its 36 Rafales, but the French aircraft will have even better weapons loaded on to them.
As reported earlier by NewsCentral24x7, Modi-led CCS had increased the benchmark price of 36 Rafale aircraft deal from €5.2 billion to €8.2 billion, which led the deal to be finalised at €7.87 billion. It had also violated the procedure for procurement of aircraft, and NSA Doval was illegally involved in negotiations. The involvement of Anil Ambani group in the offsets deal and the transfer of money from Dassault to a defunct Anil Ambani group company has given credence to the belief that it was not above board.
The latest revelation of French order shows up that Modi government’s defence of keeping price details secret is an excuse to cover up its wrongdoing. It also raises questions as to how it ended up paying three times more from the tax-payers’ pocket for these fighter jets.
Even if the Modi government doesn’t answer these questions, the pending CAG report in the Rafale deal will unearth more inconvenient facts. Moreover, the French National Prosecutor is likely to open an investigation in the deal which will nail Modi government and its cover-up of the controversial deal.
Also Read: We Are Ready to Face Sedition Trial But is PM Modi Ready to Face JPC in Rafale Scam: Umar Khalid