Rafale Deal Row: Reliance Chosen Under 'Make in India' Clause, Says Another Dassault Document, Contradicts Mediapart Report

New Delhi, October 16: Another internal document of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturing firm of Rafale fighter jets, states that Reliance Defence Ltd was chosen as the offset partner under the 'Make in India' clause of the Indian government, which makes it mandatory to select a domestic partner.

The document, accessed by the French aviation website, was part of a presentation delivered to confederation of trade unions named Confédération générale du travail (CGT) by Dassault Aviation COO Loik Segalen. The union had sought an explanation on why the Rafale deal has not created the number of jobs as expected.

Notably, a Mediapart report last week, citing an internal Dassault document, had claimed that under the deal with India, "it was mandatory" to select Reliance as the domestic partner rather than any other Indian firm.

Dassault had contested the report, calling it factually incorrect. The company has maintained that there was no pressure from the Indian side to finalise Reliance as the offset partner.

Segalen, while speaking to reporters in Paris on Thursday, said the company was "not forced" to choose Reliance, but it was mandatory to select an Indian firm as the offset partner under the Make in India clause.

Meanwhile, the Opposition in India has demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale deal, accusing the Narendra Modi-led government of "deliberately evicting" the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) out of the pact, and replacing it with Reliance Defence Ltd, the newly floated firm of industrialist Anil Ambani.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2018 06:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).