Rafale Deal Twist: Ex-French President Francois Hollande Puts Modi Government in Dock; Defence Ministry Refutes Claims

New Delhi, September 21: Former France President Francois Hollande today has brought a new twist to the Rafale Deal controversy by claiming that the Modi government recommended Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence for the offset clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal. In an article published by French journal Mediapart, Hollande while replying to a question about the selection Reliance as a partner of Dassault, blamed the Indian government that it proposed Reliance’s name and Dassault had no choice but to take the company given to it.

During the interview, he said, “We did not have a say in that. The Indian government proposed this service group, and Dassault negotiated with Ambani. We did not have a choice, we took the interlocutor we were given.” French Newspaper LeMonde journalist Julien Boissou tweeted the excerpts of Hollande's. Hollande was also quoted as saying, “The Indian government proposed this service group and Dassault negotiated with Ambani.” (Also Read: What is Rafale Deal? All You Need To Know About French Fighter Jets Which Has Pitted Congress, BJP At Loggerheads)

Soon after the reports of Hollande's interview were published, opposition slammed the Modi government for hiding fact on the deal. Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of personally renegotiating the Rafale fighter jet deal with former French president François Hollande to benefit "bankrupt" Anil Ambani.

Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, who has petitioned before the Supreme Court against the alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal, said the government should clarify on the statements of Hollande, as quoted in the French journal.

Meanwhile, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury termed the deal as a scam. He also slammed the Modi government for backing a corporate house with no experience. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the Modi government for hiding facts about the deal.

However, the defence ministry immediately refuted the Hollande’s claims. The ministry through a tweet said that the Government of India, as well as the French Government, had no role in the commercial decision. The defence ministry tweeted, “The report referring to fmr French president Mr. Hollande's statement that GOI insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being verified. It is reiterated that neither GoI nor French Govt had any say in the commercial decision.”

Initially, the previous UPA government proposed a deal of USD 12 billion which amounts to Rs 78,000 crore (approx.) for acquiring 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), Rafale Fighter jets. The NDA government after coming to power abrogated the old deal. The Modi government signed a new contract with the French government in 2016, worth Rs 59,000 to acquire 36 jets in ready to fly condition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2018 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).