Sachin Pilot tears into Centre, says ready to move court

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime’s silence on the Rafale deal as “baffling,” Pilot told media persons at state Congress headquarters Sathyamurthy Bhavan here, “All our options are open.” He was asked if the Congress would move the court on the issue if the Centre does not oblige them and constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the deal to procure 36 fighter aircrafts from French aircraft major Dassault Rafale.

Pilot, who was in town as a part of the party’s nationwide campaign to popularise the controversial Indo-French aircraft deal, hit back at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for posing questions instead of answering them. “It is very strange. The Union Finance Minister poses questions instead of answering us,” Pilot said, reacting to Arun Jaitley’s 15-point questionnaire to the Congress on the issue. 

Reiterating his party’s demand that Joint Parliamentary Committee be constituted to probe the matter, the former union minister said, “I see no reason why the government should hesitate to form it. Government is hiding in the cloak of secrecy. The JPC should be formed and the PM should come and explain.” 

Criticising the Centre’s silence, he said, “If anything that we are saying is wrong factually, then the government must come forward and clarify. The fact that they choose to remain silent tells that there is much to hide. There is a huge financial irregularity,” before adding that the entire opposition was united on getting answers from the government.

Rubbishing the “escalation clause” and “India-specific” aircraft reasoning of the BJP, he said there was no reason to buy the aircraft at 300 per cent higher price when countries like Egypt and Qatar had bought the same craft at much lower price even if one were to factor in the escalation clause. 

Accusing the Centre of “setting side” due processes followed in such deals, mainly the cabinet committee on security, Sachin Pilot said the deal was done in complete disregard to the conventions and transparency all defence deals are put through.

Also picking holes in the Centre’s urgency theory, Pilot asked, “Why only 36 aircrafts were procured against the required 126? Not a single aircraft landed in the country. The first craft will be delivered only in 2019?” “There is no law that prevents the government from disclosing the commercial cost,” he added.

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader and former union minister for Science and Technology Jaipal Reddy on Monday charged that the former had failed to follow the defence procurement procedures on the Rafale fighter jets deal.

Talking to reporters here, Reddy said that defence deals are entered into generally through elaborate, slow and highly measured procedures. However, the Prime Minister had taken the decision to strike a deal for purchase of Rafale jet aircrafts ‘in his personal capacity,’ although a Prime Minister ‘cannot take a decision about huge commercial deals on his own.’

He said the situation reminded one of the style of functioning of the French King of the 17th century Louis XIV who maintained that ‘I am the State.’

Reddy alleged that the country had incurred a loss of Rs 41,000 crore by striking a new deal with a French company for purchase of the aircrafts. 

“The previous Congress-led UPA government had signed a deal for purchase of 126 aircrafts but the Narendra Modi headed NDA government had decided to purchase only 36 aircrafts and that too at a high price.” 

He dubbed the decision of the Prime Minister to strike the deal on his own as ‘a gigantic mistake.’ Reddy said that this act on the part of the Prime Minister had hit the public sector HAL and also caused a loss of creating 10,000 jobs for the youth.

He reiterated the plea of the Congress that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be formed to probe the issue.

The former union minister said that the Congress would go to the people and ensure that there is a public campaign focusing the total neglect by the Prime Minister on the procedures that should be adopted in high defence deals.

Reddy also said that demonetisation is the biggest blunder committed by a government in 70 years. Heavy loss had been caused by the demonetisation plan in several ways.

When his attention was drawn to the ongoing confrontation between the Lt Governor and elected government here, he said that in the Union Territory of Puducherry the Chief Minister had more powers than his counterpart in Delhi.

He alleged that Lt Governor here was ‘erratic and is after publicity’ and  charged the Prime Minister with encouraging Lt Governors  in Union Territories and also Governors in non-BJP ruled states.