Till when PM Modi will hide from Rafale scam – Pawan Khera of Congress

Pawan Khera, Congress

New Delhi – All India Congress Committee (AICC) Pawan Khera brings out n new document that busts the ‘lies’ of Modi govt on price per fighter jet and offsets related to Rafale.

The silence of the Modi Govt on the new ‘Skeletons’ that have tumbled out of their ‘Rafale Scam’ cupboard, is precursor of the storm which they are about to face. Everyday, new sets of irrefutable evidences are lining up at the doorstep of PM Modi which cements the charges of ‘Squandering National Interests’, ‘Brazen Crony Capitalism’, ‘Kickbacks & Corruption’ & ‘Serious Illegalities’ that have taken place in the murky saga of Rafale Scam!

Today another undisputable evidence has come to the fore, which establishes the deliberately hiked commercial cost of the 36 Rafale aircraft deal signed by PM Modi on 10th April, 2015.

The publically available ‘Management Meet Note’ of India’s largest private sector bank – ICICI; dated February 28, 2017 [Attached as Annexure A1] is now widely in public circulation, yet again exposes the Commercial Cost of Rafale Deal as well as again seals the cost of ‘Offset Contract’ & ‘Life Cycle Cost Contract’ to Shri Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence (RDL) at Rs 30,000 Cr and Rs 1,00,000 Cr respectively.

This is the sixth proof in public domain which testifies, that the per aircraft cost in PM Modi’s deal is Rs 1670 Cr and that, flouting all norms; Modi Govt handed over a  Rs 30,000 Cr ‘Offset Contract’ to Shri Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence- which had zero and absolutely zero experience in aircraft manufacturing.

Undeniable Facts from the ‘Management Meet Note’ of ICICI Bank,

1. “RDL has already formed a joint venture with French major Dassault for execution of offset obligations, as a part of the 36 Rafale fighter jet purchase valued at Rs 59000 crore. The offset obligation in this contract is pegged at 50% of the total cost, i.e. Rs 29500 crore” [Page 2]

2. “The management has pegged this opportunity from the Rafale programme at Rs 105000 crore. Dassault Reliance JV will provide performance based logistics for 50 years (scope includes maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrades) [Page 2]

3. “If awarded, it is also expected to execute additional orders of Rafale fighter aircraft for Indian Armed Forces under the “Make in India” programme” [Page 2]

4. “RDL pegs the defence opportunity at Rs 15 lakh crore over the next 15, years across various verticals in the defence space” [Page 2]

Prior to this new revelation:-
(i) ‘Annual Report, 2016’ of Dassault Aviation had exposed the cost of per aircraft & offset obligations by Reliance Defence. [Annexure A2]

(ii) Press Release of Reliance Infrastructure Limited dated February 16, 2017 had exposed the cost of the 36 Rafale deal and Rs 30,000 Cr ‘Offset Contract’[Annexure A3]

(iii) R Infra’s Investor Presentation had revealed the Rs 1,00,000 Cr ‘Life Cycle Cost Contract’ [Annexure A3]

(iv) Reliance Infrastructure’s Annual Report clearly stated that the J.V. with Dassault will discharge offset obligations worth 30,000 crores [ Annexure A4]

(v) Interview of Shri Sudhanshu Mohanty, Head of Finance, Ministry of Defence (uptil May 2016) who spilled the beans’ indicting the Modi Govt for corrupt practices in fixing a higher ‘benchmark price’ i.e from € 5.2 Billion (Rs 39,422 Cr) to € 8.2 Billion (Rs 62,166 Cr) for Rafale aircrafts.

Now a third party document has reiterated the same figures of the commercial cost of the 36 Rafale deal, unilaterally signed by PM Modi in France, as also the Offset/Life Cycle Cost obligations being handed over to his crony friend.

What is the price per aircraft of the 36 aircraft deal signed by PM Modi on April 10th, 2015 in France?

If Dassault Aviation in its Annual Report, can reveal the price per aircraft, if Reliance Defence in its Press Release, can reveal the price per aircraft, If a retired bureaucrat who was the ‘Head of Finances’ in the Defence Ministry, while the deal was done can reveal the benchmark price.

What is stopping the Modi Govt to reveal the commercial cost of the Rafale Deal as well as the details of the Offset Obligations?

PM Modi cannot escape from his moral, political, legal and constitutional responsibility and accountability in the Biggest Defence Scam of India. For truth to prevail, the only route is to order a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe in this scandal.