Reliance Defence rejects Rahul's charges, says 'proposed MoU' cited by him not on Rafale ## Reliance Defence rejects Rahul's charges, says 'proposed MoU' cited by him not on Rafale

Reliance Defence on Tuesday said the "proposed MoU" mentioned in a purported email cited by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his fresh allegations on the Rafale deal was a reference to its cooperation with Airbus Helicopter and had "no connection" with the fighter jet contract.

Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "treason" and violating the Official Secrets Act by acting as Anil Ambani's "middleman" in the Rafale jet contract, citing an email to claim the businessman was aware of the deal days before India and France signed it.

"Purported email being referred by the Congress Party is regarding the discussion between Airbus and Reliance Defence regarding Civil & Defence Helicopter Programs under 'Make in India'," a Reliance Defence spokesperson said in a statement.

Feb 12, 2019 4:12 PM

Congress stages walkout in Lok Sabha on Rafale issue##Congress stages walkout in Lok Sabha on Rafale issue

The Congress Tuesday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha after its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal was rejected. Kharge tried to speak but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not allow and continued with the business of the House. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 2:53 PM

Congress stages walkout in Lok Sabha on Rafale issue##Congress stages walkout in Lok Sabha on Rafale issue

The Congress Tuesday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha after its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal was rejected. Kharge tried to speak but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not allow and continued with the business of the House.

At this a visibly upset Kharge asked loudly, "What is this? We want JPC". The Speaker said she was not saying no to anyone. "I will allow you to speak when the time will come. Now sit down. You have shouted a lot. Give your throat some rest," she said.

With this, Kharge sat down but said, "If you don't allow us to speak, why should we be here". UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting next to Kharge, nodded in support. Kharge soon nudged other Congress MPs to restart the protests and they immediately trooped into the well, carrying placards and shouting slogans seeking JPC on the Rafale deal.

He also demanded discussion on the issue to which the Speaker said a debate had already taken place in the House. Kharge said the CAG report on defence was tabled before the Rajya Sabha and was "leaked". He said the report was not tabled before Lok Sabha.

Mahajan said the reports were tabled before the Lok Sabha, in an apparent reference to P Radhakrishnan tabling three CAG reports, including one on defence services.

Intervening in the matter, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the issue of Rafale has been discussed in the House and even the Supreme Court has given its judgement on it.

"The Prime Minister is scared of JPC. Since you are not heeding to the demand of JPC, we are staging a walkout," Kharge said as his party staged a walkout.

Feb 12, 2019 2:52 PM

Rahul Gandhi's charges against Modi height of shamelessness, irresponsibility: BJP##Rahul Gandhi's charges against Modi height of shamelessness, irresponsibility: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations against Narendra Modi on the Rafale jet deal as height of shamelessness and irresponsibility, and asserted that the e-mail he cited to criticise the prime minister referred to some chopper deal and not the purchase of the fighter aircraft. Senior party leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also put Airbus, whose internal e-mail was cited by the Congress president, in a dock, saying the European aircraft manufacturer is under a needle of suspicion in deals finalised during the previous Congress-led government. He asked Gandhi to answer how he got hold of the company's internal communication and accused him of acting as a "lobbyist" of foreign firms. Speaking to reporters soon after Gandhi's press conference, Prasad also took strong exception to the Congress leader charging Modi with "treason". The BJP leader said his party had serious differences with former prime ministers, who came from the Gandhi family, over several "murky" defence deals signed during their term but never accused them of treason. "He (Rahul Gandhi) has thrown muck at his own face by abusing our honest prime minister... We will expose his lies before the public," he said. Earlier Tuesday, Gandhi accused Modi of acting as a "middleman" of Anil Ambani in the Rafale jet deal, as he cited the e-mail to claim the businessman was aware of the MoU before India and France signed it. He also accused Modi of "treason". (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 1:50 PM

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad responds on Rahul Gandhi's allegations on Rafale deal##Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad responds on Rahul Gandhi's allegations on Rafale deal

Feb 12, 2019 1:41 PM

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2pm amid uproar by SP members##Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2pm amid uproar by SP members

Rajya Sabha proceedings were Tuesday adjourned till 2 PM following uproar by Samajwadi Party members after party chief Akhilesh Yadav was allegedly stopped at Lucknow airport while on his way to Allahabad. Trouble started after as many as 15 members made zero hour mention on issues of public importance.

SP members were up on their feet trying to raise their issue but nothing could be heard and Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu ordered that nothing would go on record. Naidu said he cannot allow them to raise the issue as they have not given notice and no member can raise issue without the permission of the Chair.

SP members said they have received information that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was stopped at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow by police in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad to attend an oath-taking ceremony at Allahabad University.

"Please go to your seat. Please don't spoil the atmosphere. This is not the way. We have lost so much of valuable time," he said before adjourning the proceedings till 2 PM. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 1:19 PM

Rafale induction into Air Froce to boost our combat capabilities, says IAF vice chief Anil Khosla##Rafale induction into Air Froce to boost our combat capabilities, says IAF vice chief Anil Khosla

Indian Air Force Vice Chief Anil Khosla: Rafale induction into the Air Force will give a big boost to our combat capabilities. (ANI)

Feb 12, 2019 12:59 PM

Here's what Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said in his tweet on Rafale deal##Here's what Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said in his tweet on Rafale deal

Feb 12, 2019 12:54 PM

PM Modi has compromised national security: Rahul Gandhi##PM Modi has compromised national security: Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted as Anil Ambani's middleman in Rafale deal Anil Ambani knew he was going to get Rafale deal, what PM has done is treason and in violation of Official Secrets Act What PM has done is criminal and that itself puts him in jail. PM has compromised national security, he has given defence secret to a person who should not have it

Feb 12, 2019 12:01 PM

Congress leader Anand Sharma has given suspension of business rules notice in Rajya Sabha over 'irregularities & alleged corruption in acquisition of Rafale jets'##Congress leader Anand Sharma has given suspension of business rules notice in Rajya Sabha over 'irregularities & alleged corruption in acquisition of Rafale jets'

Feb 12, 2019 11:42 AM

CAG report will not be worth the paper it is written on if it ignores wrongdoing in Rafale deal: Congress##CAG report will not be worth the paper it is written on if it ignores wrongdoing in Rafale deal: Congress

A day before the CAG report on the 2015 Rafale jet deal is likely to be tabled in Parliament, the Congress on Monday said that if the "overt acts of malfeasance" in the contract are ignored by the report, then it will "not be worth" the paper it is written on. The opposition party's statement came after a report in The Hindu claimed the Rafale deal between India and France involved "major and unprecedented" concessions from the Indian government. It reported that critical provisions for anti-corruption penalties and making payments through an escrow account were dropped days before the signing of the inter-governmental agreement (IGA). An escrow account is a provision under which the amount to be paid in a deal is held by a third-party in that account, on behalf of the transacting parties.

"Never ever in any past transactions in the last three decades, has the govt dropped such mandatory clauses from a procurement contract. One thing is emerging clearly which requires investigation, which requires a joint parliamentary committee, that somebody has paid somebody in the fighter Rafale procurement," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said at a press conference.

"We would again like to emphasise that if these very overt acts of malfeasance, if they can be documented by a newspaper...and if the Comptroller and Auditor General report ignores it because we believe that the CAG report is being tabled tomorrow, then that report will not be worth the paper it is written on," Tewari said.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday had alleged conflict of interest and asked CAG Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing the deal as he was the finance secretary when the deal was negotiated. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 11:39 AM

CPI(M) demands high level probe into Rafale deal##CPI(M) demands high level probe into Rafale deal

The CPI(M) had on Monday demanded a high level investigation into the Rafale deal and alleged that the CAG report's credibility was "severely compromised" because of conflict of interest of its auditor. Quoting newspaper reports, CPI(M) in a Politburo statement said that not only was the Prime Minister's Office conducting parallel negotiations, it also "batted" for no guarantees.

"The PMO was conducting parallel investigation keeping the official negotiating team in the dark. The PMO refused the suggestion of an escrow account. Not only was there no sovereign guarantee from the French government but it now appears that the PMO also batted for no bank guarantees. All this to facilitate the loot of the Indian exchequer by the Prime Ministers crony capitalist friend," the party alleged.

Demanding that the Supreme Court revisit its earlier ruling in the case, the Left party said the only way to get to the bottom of the "scam" was a high level probe.

"The CAG which is supposed to present a report on the Rafale deal suffers a conflict of interest...the credibility of the CAG report is severely compromised. We demand that in order to get to the bottom of this mega scam and on that basis bringing the guilty to book, it is imperative to conduct a high-level investigation," it said. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 11:02 AM

Kapil Sibal asks CAG Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing Rafale deal on conflict of interest##Kapil Sibal asks CAG Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing Rafale deal on conflict of interest

Former minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday alleged conflict of interest and asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing the deal as he was the finance secretary when the deal was negotiated.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley, however, rebutted the claims of Sibal saying that the Congress was casting aspersions on the institution of CAG based on "falsehood".

"Another attack on the institution of CAG by the 'Institution wreckers' based on falsehood. After ten years in Government former UPA ministers still don't know that Finance Secretary is only a designation given to the senior most secretary in the finance ministry," Jaitley said a series of tweets Sunday.

Sibal said Mehrishi was the finance secretary from October 24, 2014 to August 30, 2015 and in between Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Paris on April 10, 2015 and announced the signing of the Rafale deal.

"...Finance Ministry plays an important role in these negotiations...Now it is clear that the Rafale deal happened under Rajiv Mehrishi. Now he is CAG. We met him twice on September 19 and October 4, 2018. We told him about the scam. We told him that the deal should be probed because it is corrupt. But how can he initiate a probe against himself," Sibal had said. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 10:50 AM

Here's what Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on CAG report on Rafale deal likely to be tabled in Parliament today##Here's what Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on CAG report on Rafale deal likely to be tabled in Parliament today

Feb 12, 2019 10:39 AM

Govt likely to table CAG report on Rafale deal in Parliament today##Govt likely to table CAG report on Rafale deal in Parliament today

The government is scheduled to table the CAG report on Rafale jet fighter deal, which has generated a massive political controversy, in Parliament Tuesday, sources said. The government's decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault has become a controversial political issue, with the main opposition party Congress levelling allegations of corruption and impropriety, and the ruling dispensation defending the move.The CAG report will be tabled on Tuesday, a day before the end of the present Lok Sabha session. This is the last session of the 16th Lok Sabha as the general elections are due in April-May. (PTI)

Feb 12, 2019 10:34 AM