WEB DESK /NEW DELHI
The row over Rafale deal continue to escalate as former French president Francois Hollande has been quoted as telling a website that the Indian government had proposed Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as India partner in the 36-fighter jet deal and that France had not been given a choice.
Denying the charge, a defence ministry spokesperson tweeted that the report “is being verified” and that “neither GoI (government of India) nor the French Government had any say in the commercial decision.” Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been attacking the PM over the Rafale deal, tweeted to say “the PM has betrayed India”.
French journal Mediapart quotes Francois Hollande as saying: “We did not have a say in this… the Indian government proposed this service group and Dassault negotiated with (Anil) Ambani group. We did not have a choice, we took the partner who was given to us.”
The report, tweeted by a LeMonde journalist, is set to escalate a massive government-opposition row in the build-up to elections including the 2019 national polls. The opposition alleges crony capitalism in the nomination of Reliance Defence, since the group has no prior experience in aerospace manufacturing.
The Anil Ambani-led group is manufacturing aerospace components as part of the offset component of the Rafale deal. The clause requires Rafale manufacturer Dassault to ensure that business worth around Rs. 30,000 crores is generated for the Indian defence system. Reliance Defence is not making components for the Rafales ordered by India but is building assemblies for Dassault business jets.
The government has repeatedly said it was Dassault that had picked the Anil Ambani group as its India partner and that the government had nothing to do with what was essentially a commercial pact between two private parties.
The PM personally negotiated & changed the #Rafale deal behind closed doors. Thanks to François Hollande, we now know he personally delivered a deal worth billions of dollars to a bankrupt Anil Ambani.
The PM has betrayed India. He has dishonoured the blood of our soldiers.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 21, 2018
“The PM personally negotiated and changed the Rafale deal behind closed doors. Thanks to Francois Hollande, we now know he personally delivered a deal worth billions of dollars to a bankrupt Anil Ambani. The PM has betrayed India. He has dishonoured the blood of our soldiers,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Anil Ambani, in a two-page letter in December to Rahul Gandhi – who has been attacking the government over the Rafale deal – had defended his company’s credentials: “Not only do we have the necessary experience but we are also the leaders in several important areas of defense manufacture.”