New Delhi, January 4: “The Congress party is misleading the country with the falsehood and should learn the facts before seeking the house. The opposition need to understand that the Prime Minister din’t reduce the number from 126 to 36, he took 18 to 36 coming in this year, 2019. The deal by the NDA government is much better than that of the Congress deal citing the emergent demands of the Indian Air Force and comparative prices being 9% lower. “, said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Loksabha today addressing over the Rafale deal today.
“The party during 2005-2013 was buying 18 ready to fly aircrafts, and 108 were anyway to be produced by HAL (would take 100 more years). Instead we bought 36 ready to fly aircrafts citing the demand of the Indian Airforce. We doubled their order of 18 to 36. The opposition need to understand that the Prime Minister din’t reduce the number from 126 to 36, he took 18 to 36 coming in this year, 2019.”, she added.
Expressing the usual facts the Defence Minister asserted, “However, whenever there had been an emergency purchase, they are always in 2 parts. Indian Air force normally advices government to buy 2 sets of purchase. Citing the references of 1982, when Pakistan was buying F16, Indian Government decided to buy 2 groups of Mac from Russia. Similarly, in 1985, couple of sets of Dassault Mirage 2000 were bought from France. Also in 1987, 2 sets from Russia of Mic 29 were acquired.”
“In 2013 the government gave waivers to the public companies (HAL). The Standing Committee then was disappointed to know even after 3 decades that the ADA was unable able to develop a aircraft and meet the requirements of the airforce and now Congress was shedding crocodile tears when the government is reigned by the NDA. The UPA has given HAL extensions and waivers instead of investing in them. During 2005-2013, Congress government then did nothing for HAL. If at all they cared, they should have paid attention to the HAL problems and the investment issues.”, she added over roundly.
Stressing the NDA’s curriculum for HAL specifically, she said, “In contradiction, the NDA have after 2014 gave a lot of helicopter orders amounting to total of Rs 1 lac crores. Also, HALs production capacity has been doubled from 8 to 16 aircrafts per year now. 43 fighter planes were ordered by the government, to which HAL responded by giving only 8 by 2014. Hence, I claim here that there is an HAL in Amethi. The opposition should do something for the HAL if they care at all.”
“Why din’t the Congress give order of Helicopters to HAL instead of August Westland ? The entire Rafale campaign is irresponsible and based on falsehood. Unparliamentarily words were use for PM. Even the Air force Chief was called a liar which is highly unacceptable. Rahul Gandhi had earlier said that he had approached the French President about disclosing the pact, to which he agreed. The basic pricing of the aircrafts was disclosed in the house way back. However, the weaponries cost could not be disclosed, it being a secrecy pact under the IGA. Instead of misleading the house and the country, sn authenticated copy of facts should be tabled in the house.”, alleged and pondered Sitharaman.
The Congress party themselves claimed various prices in the house for a single rafale jet ,it being Rs 700 cr, Rs 540 cr, Rs 520 cr, Rs 526 cr in different rallies. There is inconsistency adhered in their claims against the NDA government trapping them themselves. The basis price disclosed by NDA washowever, Rs 670 cr. The price according to the Congress deal for 126 jets was to be Rs 736 cr per aircraft. Ours is 9% lower than their deal.