Rafale deal: Congress MP Sunil Jakhar moves Privilege Motion against PM Modi

Congress MP Sunil Jakhar moved a Privilege Motion notice in the Lok Sabha against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, ahead of Parliament session on Monday, December 17. Whereas RJD MP Manoj Jha has moved Privilege Motion in Rajya Sabha against Attorney General KK Venugopal on the same issue.

In the letter, Jakhar stated that PM Narendra Modi had deliberatley mislead the Supreme Court and Parliament in connection with the recent judgementon the Rafale fight jet deal. “Now, it has become clear that to defend its controversial stand on the pricing details and guidelines, the government was presenting wrong factsin front of the apex court. The basis of the SC order on Rafale deal was a report by the Comptroller and Audits General (CAG), which is non-existent and not shared with Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee,” said Jakhar.

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan and CPI (M) MP Mohammed Salim have given adjournment Motion Notices in the Lok Sabha over the Rafale issue.

Earlier on Sunday, December 16, claiming that the Supreme Court judgment on the Rafale case was "void" as it was based on "false and misleading submissions" by the Centre, the Congress demanded an immediate recall of the apex court verdict and a notice to be issued to the Modi government for perjury and contempt of court.

The Congress had also urged the Supreme Court to not entertain the Centre's Saturday application seeking rectification of errors in the judgment, which the government claimed "occurred, perhaps, on account of misinterpretation" by the court.

At the centre of controversy is paragraph 25 of the judgment in which the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi-led bench observed: "The pricing details have, however, been shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the CAG report has been examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Only a redacted portion of the report was placed before Parliament and is in public domain."

Supreme Court on Friday had dismissed multiple petitions seeking court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters holding that the decision making process was not in doubt and it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of offset Indian partner by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation

However, PAC Chairman Mallikarjun Kharge and the Congress have maintained that "no portion of the CAG report has been placed before Parliament or was in the public domain".