French Government Denies Rahul Gandhi's Claims; Says, 'Rafale Deal is Sensitive, We Can’t Reveal All Details'

New Delhi, July 20: The French government has issued a statement today contradicting Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s claims which he made regarding the Rafale deal during the no-confidence motion. In the statement issued by the French government, it was mentioned that the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on March 9, 2018, that the deal was sensitive and its details could not be revealed.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi raised the controversial Rafale deal in Parliament. He accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying to the nation quoting the 'secrecy clause' in the pact. Gandhi said, “Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier said that she will tell the country about the cost. However, later she said it's a secrecy pact between both the countries (India and France).” The Congress president also claimed that he had asked the French President about this secrecy pact, but the president denied the existence of any such pact.

During the UPA government, a deal of USD 12 billion which amounts to Rs 78,000 crore (approx.) was inked a deal for acquiring 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), Rafale Fighter jets. Out of these 126 jets, 18 were to be procured in ‘ready to fly’ condition and rest 108 fighter jets were to be produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL). The UPA government failed to conclude the deal before the elections in 2014.

However, after coming to power the NDA government scrapped the old deal and signed a new deal in 2016, worth Rs 59,000 to acquire 36 jets in ready to fly condition. According to this new deal, 75 percent Rafale fleet will always be operational.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2018 06:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).