Modi Govt ‘lied’ to the Court, says PAC chairman & Rahul Gandhi

In a sensational claim on Friday evening, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Mallikarjun Kharge denied having received any report from the CAG on the pricing of Rafale. Earlier in the day the Supreme Court in its order dismissing petitions for an independent probe in the Rafale deal had claimed that the Government had shared the pricing details with the Comptroller & Auditor General of India ( CAG) which in turn was examined by the PAC.

But the PAC chairman said, “ Where is the question of the PAC examining the report when it never came to the committee ?” Kharge disclosed that he had a meeting with CAG officials at 3 pm on Friday and asked them to explain what the Supreme Court’s ruling meant. CAG officials told him that even they were foxed because the pricing details had not been shared by the Government with them.

“ Who knows, the Prime Minister may have formed a different Public Accounts Committee in the PMO,” quipped Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who said that it was quite possible for the Modi Government to fabricate a CAG report since it has made a mockery (Aisi-Taisi Kar di) of all institutions.

Here is the video recording of Rahul Gandhi’s press conference:

Did the Government then lie to the Supreme Court? The Congress President declared that sooner or later the Parliament would form a Joint Parliamentary Committee to inquire into the Rafale deal. “ When that inquiry takes place, it would be proved that Prime Minister Modi helped his friend Anil Ambani to grab the offset deal.

Pointing out that he had been raising questions on the Rafale deal for over a year, the Congress President said he had four questions for the Prime Minister and dared PM Modi to call a press conference and give the answers to the following :

1. Why was the negotiated price of ₹516 Crore per plane go up to ₹1,600 Crore?

2. Why was public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. dropped as the offset partner?

3. Why was Anil Ambani’s firm favoured by Dassault when it had neither land nor any experience and which had been formed a fortnight before the PM announced the new deal?

4. Why did the Government kill job prospects of Indian youth by dropping the plan to manufacture 108 Rafale planes in India ?

Rahul Gandhi recalled how the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had stated that he knew nothing about the deal, which had been negotiated by the Prime Minister. He also recalled the next Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to have assured the media that the pricing of Rafale would be disclosed, only to go back on her word and claim that it was to be a secret.

As if responding to BJP’s demand that he tender an apology after the alleged ‘clean chit’ by the Supreme Court, the Congress President asserted once again that the ‘ Chowkidar’ ( gatekeeper) was indeed a ‘Chor’ (a thief) and said confidently that he would prove it.

With inputs from Vishwadeepak